


Crossing

by Ria_shuiryu



Category: Tokyo Mew Mew
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Other, violente/offensive languages
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:07:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 65,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23159029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ria_shuiryu/pseuds/Ria_shuiryu
Summary: The boy jumped off the chair and nodded to the giant monitor, where the tridimensional figures were rotating and fusing in one confused body. […]“So the fragments could be anywhere?”“In every possible dimension and every possible planet that the Crossing reaches,” MoiMoi admitted with a sigh. Minto pressed her fingers hard against her forehead, at the apex of her irritation.“Perfect! And we should collaborate for…?!”“For as long as it’s needed, little sparrow.”“Call me that again, Kisshu, and it’ll be the shortest collaboration of your life!”[…] “You’ve saved me once, three years ago. I am sure you will again, because you’re the strongest of them all.”“Ao No Kishi…”
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Before stepping toward the crossing

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> The story you’re about to read is a translation of a long fanfiction of mine, originally in Italian, completed a while ago on the Italian website EFPfanfict.net; following the advice (and insistence) of a dear friend and both pumped by the enthusiasm for the series’ twentieth anniversary, I convinced myself to start publishing ‘Crossing’ in English as well.  
> A few notes before getting to it:  
> \- The translation, although “supervised” by yours truly, was all made by my manipulator friend Hypnotic Poison EFP, all the kudos to her – but please bear in mind that we’re not native English speakers, so there might be a few mistakes here and there, thank you in advance for your understanding :3
> 
> \- The Italian fandom has a theory (to this day we don’t know whether born from rumors or from some crazy fans), by now almost canon, that the three aliens Pai, Kisshu and Taruto are stepbrothers. To be precise, Pai and Taruto are brothers by birth, while Kisshu was adopted (sometimes he’s also a half-brother through one of their parents). This story will follow such theory.
> 
> \- I know that in the American version/MewMew Power, the aliens have been named ‘cyniclons’: for plot purposes (I would have had to change a lot of terminology), in this English translation they will be simply called ‘aliens’.
> 
> \- Same goes for ‘chimera anima’, I kept the names of the original series for the creatures transformed by the aliens and ‘para-para’ for the parasites (also because I really didn’t like the names of the American version!! ^-^)
> 
> \- In the Italian translation of the manga (and generally in the Italian fandom), Bu-Ling Huang’s name was translated to Purin Fon. For those who don’t know Japanese, it’s not technically a mistake, but a request made directly by the author, as the Chinese characters for Bu-Ling’s name can also be read in Japanese as ‘Purin’ (which sound similarly to the Japanese transliteration of ‘pudding’). Out of habit, I used and kept the name Purin Fon in this fanfiction as well. I’ve also used the same transliterations of the other names, I found them more pleasant (so Retasu instead of Lettuce). 
> 
> I think I’ve kept you long enough :) Have fun while reading and let me know!
> 
> My italian EFP profile: https://efpfanfic.net/viewuser.php?uid=2184  
> My Tumblr page: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ria-shuiryu

The sizzling of the electric shocks died slowly, echoing like a whisper across the stones and the broken logs. Pai jerked his arm back, irate, panting, his pale face covered in sweat and dust; he glanced towards his left:

“Oi… are you still alive?”

He heard a moan and some swearing, followed by the noise of the rubble that Kisshu moved by getting up: “Alive yes”, he mumbled, rubbing his head, “But I am not sure how well… my shoulder’s making a weird noise.”

Another dull blast was heard, and a strong gush of wind and soil hit them. Kisshu cussed louder: “Can’t stupid Eyner just take it easy?”

He shouted and covered his face with his arm, glaring at the massive column of black smoke that was rising in the distance, surrounded by the reddish glare of a fire. Taruto, not far from them, was floating in mid-air, short-breathed:

“Damn…!” he rasped “This smoke’s suffocating…!”

They heard a furious scream, and saw a figure being flung towards them and lodging himself in a giant, semi-burnt trunk. 

“Eyner!”

Taruto ran towards him, holding his bleeding right arm, and he leaned over the crack that was showing only a pair of pale legs. 

“Are you… are you all in one piece, Eyner?”

Kisshu and Pai joined them, while the man called Eyner struggled to sit up:

“I… think so,” he whispered “But I didn’t expect them to use my own technique against me…”

The earth suddenly quaked under their feet; the roar of the fire pierced the air, and their surroundings seemed to implode towards the point where the flames were gathering; there, a small drop of clear and blinding light was becoming more and more limpid. The light rose slowly, contrasting the red flames with its dazzling color and showing clearly a dark silhouette that was laughing, coarse and satisfied.

“Shit…!”

For once, no one commented on Taruto’s language. The four boys lunged like furies towards the figure, their faces white of fear.

They could not let him run away!

Kisshu heard the air hiss when he slashed it with his _sai,_ and the clangor of its blade against the enemy’s was muffled by a graver roar of fire. 

“Don’t interfere further, Ikisatashi”, the figure said, “You have already stained His name enough with your blasphemous behavior.” 

Kisshu clicked his tongue with disdain. He stayed still with his opponent, only the arms holding the _sai_ trembling slightly. He fixed his golden irises into the enemy’s cerulean ones: they slaughtered him with cold rage behind the edge of an axe, brushed by a golden fringe; Kisshu instinctively gritted his teeth, furious. 

How could it be that that specific color combination would always cause his bile to boil over?

“Interfere?” he hissed with a sneer, “Actually, I was thinking of finishing you off. “

He broke the enemy’s guard and threw himself against him in the exact moment his companions reached him. He caught a glimpse of the enemy backup, but he ignored them: he only had to focus on getting back the sphere _he_ was holding, right away. 

The blades clashed and screeched in the uproar of the fire, and the earth shook stronger, like a floor caving in without its foundations. Kisshu’s opponent smiled sardonically: 

“It’s useless you insist. It’s fate, we’ll fix everything now.”

In response, Kisshu screamed wildly and plunged his arms towards his rival’s abdomen: the weapon on the right missed the flesh, and he felt it only meet the light resistance of fabric, while the left one collided against something hard, but it was not the enemy axe. 

The blade wedged in the smooth surface of the gem with an imperceptible creaking; both contenders froze, admiring the light that was shining from the object suddenly vanish, then twirl like a dense haze and expand as quickly.

“Whoops.”

The air and the fire easily died out, not even as if they had belonged to a match, and the noise of the flames and of the shakes disappeared as well.

And then everything went ablaze once again. 

An unbearable light exploded, surrounding all of them, a violent pressure crushed the remaining vegetation and hurled them far from the minuscule and bright globe. Kisshu landed violently on the ground that was again shaking from the earthquake, and he rolled down for meters, the rubble scratching every available inch of skin, uncapable of understanding where that energy was pushing him, where Taruto, Pai, and Eyner were, where his enemies were. He could only feel, rather than see, the shining sphere completely break and scatter everywhere in rainbow-colored trails. 

If he hadn’t risked getting his mouth full of dirt, he would have yelled profanities worthy of the worst sailor. 

It was inevitable. People with blue eyes and blonde hair were always bad luck for him.

_ Chapter 01 – Before stepping towards the crossing _

_ “It’s been ages, my sweet pussycat! “ _

__

Ichigo…

Ichigo, can you hear me?

_ “ _ _ Who are you? _

_ I… know you?” _

__

_ A familiar figure. Tall. Strong. _

_ But she did not know exactly who they were: she felt as if she had a veil in front of her eyes, or as if she was looking through a clouded glass. _

_ She was sure, however, that she knew that voice. _

_ Warm. _

_ Reassuring. _

_ Kind.  _

__

_ “You.” _

__

It’s been so long, my darling.

_ “ _ _ Who are you? _

__

_ It looked like he was smiling melancholically to her. _

__

Listen to me, Ichigo.

I don’t have much time!

Listen carefully…

__

_ She wanted to protest. Say that she wouldn’t obey anyone without a valid reason. _

_ But their voice… _

_ It was so familiar and comforting. And it was deeply worried, filled with urgency.  _

_ It was true. _

_ She had to listen carefully. _

_ She nodded, and the little bell at her neck rang clearly. _

__

You will have to be strong, Ichigo.

Don’t run away from the challenge, even if it will seem difficult. 

_ “Challenge? What challenge? _

_ I have nothing to fight now…!” _

__

You will have to.

You will have to, my darling Ichigo.

But don’t be afraid, you will be alright. 

Remember this. Whatever they will tell you, whatever you will see…

I am not _him_.

And I am not **Him**. 

****

_ “Who? _

_ Who are you not?” _

__

_ He gestured not to interrupt him and insisted more vehemently.  _

__

_ Fight them, Ichigo! _

__

_ She saw him move towards her. _

_ Even so close, she could not see him well; he appeared engulfed into a strong source of light that was blurring his outline. _

_ He looked at her for a few seconds. He lightly put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead, making her shiver. _

_ He had soft lips, but cold as ice. _

_ Or the bottom of the ocean… _

_ Dark and deep… _

_ Where had she felt that already? _

__

_ “You…” _

I hope I will be able to see you again.

_ He suddenly disappeared like smoke. _

_ Everything around her went dark, and a precise yet incomprehensible image appeared. _

_ A small sphere of iridescent light flew up a few dozen meters from her, high above, and higher still; it shone, quivered and throbbed, then it broke up in drops that shot in all directions. _

_ She wanted to understand what was happening, where those small shiny tears were going, but the light was too strong, everything was turning white… _

__

When her hand collided with her alarm clock, it sent the poor thing to crash onto the floor with a sharp crack of plastic.

“Ichigo, honey!” Sakura’s voice, from behind the door, sounded exasperated “Could you please try not to destroy another clock? Now get up, or you’ll be late!”

The red-haired girl again moved the arm that was sticking out of the covers, waving it like a wind vane, and grunting peeped out of her lair, her hair sticking out in all possible directions.

She rubbed her bleary eyes while looking out of the window, a bright sun and the cheerful chirping of birds announcing another beautiful spring day. 

She felt stunned, she felt like she had spoken to someone… someone important…

She ruffled her bangs and yawned, it must had been a dream.

_ A dream… _

But she remembered the small and bright light that had broken in front of her eyes.

It was inevitable, she knew exactly what it was. 

She kept thinking about it, while she started washing herself and getting dressed. Once back from the bathroom, she threw her pajama on the bed, put on clean underwear and stood in front of the full mirror, ready to wear her uniform; her hand was already holding the coat hanger, when something caught her attention.

A pink birthmark, unusually shaped like a heart with two cats’ tails on top, winked at her from her inner thigh. The red-haired frowned:

“Why did I dream of the Mew Aqua?”

****

** *** **

****

** “ ** What? You all dreamt it too?!”

Her friends looked at her gravely, nodding. Ichigo didn’t reply, staring at them with her mouth wide open.

In those three years, she had forgotten how to be used to weird things. 

For a long time now, the Mew Team had stopped fighting aliens, and even though she and her friends had never lost their powers – as their marks were demonstrating and how, at least every fortnight, the ginger never forgot to remind Ryo, inveighing against him – they had not had to face fights or mortal perils of any kind. 

Things had taken a calm, banal, and very much desired turn towards calmness: high school, the everyday routine with her family, Masaya; even that part-time job at the Café, now exactly only a part-time job, had gone on, but nothing more than that.

Ichigo violently shook her head, making her maid’s headband wobble dangerously:

“Oh, come on!” she complained meowing “I have just started my second year a couple of weeks ago, I cannot deal with other problems!”

“Ichigo, stop being hysteric, we don’t know if it’s a problem yet.”

She glared at Minto, who replied with a grimace of resigned superiority. Even after three years, her friend could drive Ichigo nuts as the first day they met. 

“What if it’s a big, _huge_ problem?!”

The brown-haired girl ignored her, fixing behind her ear a strand of hair that had escaped from the loose chignon in which she had started wearing it, now too long for her usual two buns. 

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

Retasu tried to soften her up, albeit with not much confidence herself. Ichigo gave her a half smile, the sweetness of that girl was one of the few things that could stop her from going into a fit of rage.

“Maybe we ate too much?”

Purin laughed, but the others’ expressions did not show the will to give any credit to that silly thing; they all sighed together, even if now the blonde girl had grown to be their height, she had stayed the same naïve rascal, and that was often stressful.

“What are you even saying?”

“Purin…”

“Anyways, I do not believe in coincidences.”

Zakuro bluntly commented. The other four girls leaned towards the laptop on the table, turning it to better see the mewwolf; she was sitting on the other side of the monitor, an elegant hotel room as her background, her elbow on the table and her face hidden behind her hand in a pensive manner.

“By now, I have learned that some things are not casual accidents,” she went on, severe, “And if it’s about aliens, powers, and above all, the Mew Aqua, even less.”

“But why should we have dreamt of the Mew Aqua? And all five of us too!” Ichigo piled it on, alarmed, “There isn’t a drop of it left on Earth, and the part that Kisshu and the others took… who knows how many hundreds of light years away it is!”

“Maybe we dreamt of the Mew Aqua, but it meant something else?”

Nobody replied to Minto, whose sentence was muffled by meditative grunts. 

“… maybe we should speak with Shirogane-kun and Akasaka-san…”

“… I don’t know, Retasu,” replied Ichigo, biting her lower lip “If anything weird had popped up, they would have told us after all… to bring this up…”

“Are you afraid to discover something disturbing, o you simply don’t want to meddle in a potential new problem?”

Minto hissed. Ichigo yelled against her, tail and ears sprouting up under her skirt and in her hair: 

“Excuse me, miss ‘boring-life’, I would be happy to remain untroubled!”

“First of all, mine was a very serious question, you wouldn’t need to get upset so much if you didn’t have a guilty conscience,” she pointed out “Second of all, my life is great as it is.”

“Alright, now stop, you guys!”

“Retasu onee-chan is right,” Purin added “And going back to the main topic… if you’d rather let it go, I think it would be okay: as Ichigo onee-chan said, if anything was indeed going on Shirogane onii-chan and Akasaka onii-san would have surely told us. So, for the time being, we can set the matter aside.”

The girls all sent each other glances without replying to her. After a while, Zakuro sighed:

“Alright. If you prefer, for now we can leave it, but let’s keep an eye out on it, got it?”

They all nodded yes. ****

“By the way!” Minto’s face changed, and smiling radiantly she got closer to the screen “Onee-sama, when are you coming back from the States?”

“I’m leaving in a few hours,” the brunette smiled “I’ll be getting in tomorrow. So I thought it better to call you beforehand.”

She winked at them and then stopped, called by an authoritative voice speaking in English; she replied with her usual calm and her perfect accent, then sighing she turned back to the monitor: 

“Gotta go now. I’ll keep my cell on for as long as possible, let’s keep in touch for anything.”

“See you soon, Zakuro-san!”

She smiled to Ichigo and turned off her laptop. The other girls looked at the screen, where only the empty chat window was showing, now a bit more relaxed.

“Well, Zakuro-san will be here too tomorrow,” Retasu smiled “Why don’t we focus on our work and we talk about it again tomorrow?”

The others nodded, calmer now. The bell above the Café’s entrance rang, signaling that someone had opened the door, and while Purin took the laptop away, the others welcomed the new clients, starting another work afternoon.

Yes, they needn’t worry.

It had only been a dream.

***

“Reta-chan, what’s going on? Are you still in dreamland?”

“Uh?”

The green-haired girl blinked a couple of times, staring confusedly at her companion.

“You’ve been standing there frozen for the past two minutes,” the other protested “What’s up, do you have a love letter hidden in your locker?”

Retasu, still holding her shoes, looked at her stunned and blushed all at once: 

“What are you saying?!” she whined, grasping her indoor shoes “So silly! I was just thinking…”

She laughed nervously and put on the slippers, while her friend looked at her suspiciously and distractedly fixed her bright red hair, cut in a sharp bob:

“If you say so… but you stood straight as a pole holding your shoes for a lifetime, I thought there was something interesting there.”

And while she was speaking, she glimpsed into her friend’s locker, puffing disappointed when she saw that it was, indeed, empty. 

“Ayumi-chan, could you please not peek into other people’s stuff?”

“Uff!” Ayumi closed the door with a sharp bang “Never any juicy news! “

Retasu did not even reply, and, smiling, headed towards her classroom alongside her companion. 

She had met Ayumi the year before through the school knitting club, and they had become friends soon. Retasu would have never dreamed of it: Ayumi was a strong girl, with an exuberant temper, maybe sometimes too aggressive and direct, but for these reasons very admired by the Mewporpoise, so timid and passive; she could never think that those characteristics of hers, her leniency, her discretion, her excessive kindness, were in fact admired by the red-haired schoolmate and that would actually make her gain her friendship, somehow. 

Retasu was beyond happy about it, and Ayumi was also very liked by the rest of her friends; they would often all meet to go out together, and at school they had formed a nice trio with Ichigo, that was attending the same high school. 

“Ah, the men in this school really are blind.”

Ayumi exhaled, making Retasu smile timidly. 

“That locker should be full of letters!”

“What are you saying, Ayumi-chan.”

“It’s true!” she replied vehemently “You’re so cute and sweet! You should receive a love declaration a day!”

“Ayu, you’re being delirious…”

Replied Retasu, blushing. Ayumi sighed deeply and, changing her mood with her usual rapidity, smiled happily and started rubbing herself against Retasu’s shoulder. 

“Anyways, it’s better like this, or I would have to exterminate a race of idiots ready to hover around you.”

She brushed decisively against the green’s uniform, and Retasu only smiled, half uncomfortably and half tenderly; surely, hanging out with Ayumi had made her a little less hesitant, until a few years before she would have panicked for a similar behavior from a friend. 

“And in this way, all the attention and the leftover pastries from your home economy class will be all mine!” she sing-sang, brushing against her neck as well “Mmmh, you’re too good at stuff like that!”

“Eh eh, then we shall share the next sponge cakes, okay?”

“Yes!” Ayumi hugged her by the shoulders “Ah, look at that smile! You’re the emblem of the perfect wife!”

“What?!?”

“Please, Reta-chan, marry me!”

“A-A-Ayumi-chan, what are you saying!?”

Ayumi smiled back, without letting her go; she really had that idea of Retasu, but it was also fun to tease her a bit. 

“You’re so _cuuuute_!” she laughed happily “And…”

With a wicked grin, she grasped Retasu’s breasts with both hands, making her shriek alarmed. 

“Look at these! They grew during the holidays! How the hell do you do it?!” she complained “I started eating what you eat, but mine are staying as flat as a surfboard!”

Retasu did not reply, red as a lobster and apparently catatonic.

“Ayu, stop harassing Retasu! You’re giving her a heart attack.” 

Ichigo’s protests obtained their desired effect, at least partially, and Ayumi let go of Retasu, holding only her arm. The green-haired girl smiled to the mewneko, trying to ignore the astonished faces of their schoolmates that were staring at them.

Ayumi nodded to the red-hair and grunted:

“I will have to assess yours too, you know, smartass,” she said, her face getting more serious “I wonder what you and Aoyama got up to during the spring holidays…”

“Firstly, it wouldn’t be any of your business, but in any way, what are you even thinking?!”

“Well, everyone knows that when _some things_ happen,” Ayumi replied with the tone of an expert “Girls become prettier, both in their bodies and in their faces. And the breasts go and ri-ise…”

She concluded in a singsong. 

“What’s the topic?”

“Ichigo-chan and Aoyama-kun getting to third base.”

“What!? Ichigo, this is how you tell us!?”

“Masaya-kun and I didn’t get anywhere!! – the girl hissed through gritted teeth, managing to hold back her ears and tails by the grace of who knows what celestial power – Moe! Miwa!”

She stared shocked at her two longtime friends, who had popped up behind them. Both them and Ayumi looked at her suspiciously:

“Yanagida-chan, Honjo-chan, do you believe her?”

“Not one bit, Kotegawa-chan!”

“Come on, Ichigo, spill it!”

“I swear nothing happened!” she screeched, desperate “For real! You can even check, I have nothing to hide, my boobs are the same!”

“ As much as I imagine someone might be interested in your development,” coughed a stern voice, freezing her on the spot, “I don’t think this is the right moment, nor place, to talk about it. “

Ichigo turned slowly, pale, and only wished to be devoured by the floor:

“P-professor…”

“And the bell is about to ring, Ms. Momomiya,” the man went on undaunted, fixing his tie “Given your average of tardiness, I wouldn’t waste the opportunity to feel the thrill of being at your desk, at the beginning of class.”

She guiltily lowered her head and mumbled a _yes_ ; the man passed the little group and the bell went off, pushing everyone in their classrooms. 

“I swear,” Ichigo muttered at the apex of shame, looking at her friends who were trying not to laugh “I swear you will pay for it, all three of you!”

She went into the class, head low, followed by Moe and Miwa, while Ayumi and Retasu headed two doors down.

Retasu kept smiling uncomfortably, while Ayumi grinned:

“Teasing Ichigo-chan is almost a hundred times better than teasing you!”

“T-tease me?”

Retasu mumbled; Ayumi glanced at her:

“Was it too much?”

“W-well, no…”

She reassured her, and the red-haired grinned slyly:

“Good. And I think you’re better,” she winked at the friend’s confused expression “You looked worried this morning.”

Retasu stared at her, surprised, and smiled:

“It’s not a big deal”, she comforted her “Anyways, it’s all better now. Thank you.”

Ayumi smiled and went to take her seat.

The class started, and Retasu diligently began to take notes, even though her mind was running afar with particular ease.

She was indeed thinking about something that morning, a thing that had not stopped tormenting her since the day before, the dream on the Mew Aqua. She had a weird feeling about it, but given the others’ reaction, she had preferred keeping it to herself. After all, they were probably right, it was just a dream.

But Zakuro didn’t seem sure of it, and she had great trust in her friend’s intuition. 

It wasn’t just the dream that was worrying her, but also what she had dreamed. 

The others had all said they had opened their eyes before seeing where the lights were heading; she, instead, had woken up a few moments later, late enough to see one of the shiny trails rush straight to her and dissolve against her chest. 

That thought was not leaving her alone, why only her? Maybe it was just another coincidence and she had simply woken up a few minutes late?

_ But all these coincidences are starting to be a bit much… _

She jumped when she felt something light hit the back of her head, and she saw a folded piece of paper fall on her desk; it said “from Ayumi”.

She covered herself with her pencil case and opened the paper.

_ Today’s thought… it wasn’t about Shirogane, was it? _

__

Retasu bit her lip while reading, then smiled softly. Ayumi was always so thoughtful with her. She grabbed her pen and replied right below, sending it back.

_ No, don’t worry. You know, I’m over it now. _

Retasu knew pretty well that Ryou liked Ichigo; truth to be told, she thought everybody knew, apart for the redhead in question. 

Even knowing this, however, she had not been capable of withholding her feelings. 

It had happened a bit before the third-year middle school diploma, on a sunny afternoon. They had been alone at the Café, Retasu couldn’t say if by chance or because her friends had noticed how agitated she had been for days and days and they had sensed something; she had waited for the so-called right moment, but it had never come, and in the end the words had escaped on their own:

“I know you already care for someone!” she could remember her trembling voice, the legs that felt ready to give up “But… but I like you. I like you for real.”

She didn’t know where she had found the strength to say it and then remain still to stare at those wonderful blue eyes. Ryo had looked at her without a word, and she had continued:

“Couldn’t I… couldn’t I be close to you?”

The sentence had died up in a puff while she had bowed her head unable to look at him yet. Ryou had not answered, but had stroked her head kindly:

“You know I cannot say yes,” he had whispered sadly “It wouldn’t be fair.”

He had tilted her head back and stroked softly her cheek. Retasu had thought he was anxious, and maybe even sad:

“I care for you a lot, but it’s not what you’re asking of me.”

She had nodded. She understood, of course she did, but that care towards her didn’t but strengthen the affection she felt for him, and at the same time it was breaking her heart.

She had not been able to hold back her tears, which he had dried with kindness:

“Retasu…”

She had shaken her head without managing to say anything more; she had silently cried for endless minutes and Ryou had never left, staying beside her and comforting her until she had calmed down. Even in the following days he had been maybe too sweet and apprehensive with her; Retasu had not been surprised by that, she knew very well that behind Ryou’s venomous tongue a very kind person was hiding.

She had fallen in love with him also because of that.

But all those attentions were only making her feel worse.

For days she had secretly cried, careful not to be discovered, and when the tears had dried up, only sadness was left. She had tried to hide it, but it was difficult to deceive Ichigo and the others, Ayumi included.

“Aren’t we friends?!” she had exploded one day, when they were coming back from the club, “So you have to share with me both the fun things and the troubles!”

In the end, she had had to confess everything, and she had to admit that, afterwards, she had felt lighter. Slowly, her heartbreak had dwindled down and, now, she could say that she had forgotten her first, disappointing true love. Of course, she wasn’t totally indifferent to Ryo, she kept thinking of him as a wonderful person and – she blushed anytime she thought of that – a handsome boy, but he was a friend; a special friend from whom she felt a reciprocated deep fondness, but only a friend.

Retasu felt another hit at her neck, and she opened the new message from Ayumi.

_Alright. You know, every now and then you get the blues when we talk about him, I always worry._

__

_ That’s how I am, you know that. _

__

_ I know. And it’s my duty to worry. _

Retasu laughed, almost getting caught by the professor. She hid and lowered her head until her nose was brushing against her notebook, red in the face, and when she was sure not to be seen, she replied to her friend.

_ Thank you <3 Anyways, I was just sleepy this morning, that’s it. _

She was sorry she could not be completely truthful, but it was out of the question to involve Ayumi into the Mew Mew topic; even less now that there might be new dangers in the future.

_ Mmmm… you’re not thinking of someone new, are you? ^-^ _

Retasu blushed in a matter of seconds.

_ What’s gotten into you!? _

__

_ Why? It wouldn’t be bad ;3 _

__

_ Well, there’s no one I like! _

__

_ You could take a look around, no? _

Retasu sighed, Ayumi was really banging on that!

_ Then Ayu-chan will look for you ;) _

__

_ What are you saying!? _

__

_ ^w^ I know exactly what type Retasu-chan likes! A handsome guy (like everyone ;P!), taller and maybe older! And obviously very smart, you like nerds xP! _

Even from behind her, Ayumi could see Retasu turn burgundy. 

_ I am right, I am right! XD I bet you’re already thinking of someone, correct? <3 _

__

_ Absolutely not. _

And frustrated, Retasu balled up the paper and hid it in the deepest corner of her case, finishing the conversation. She hated how well Ayumi knew her, it was not fair! And it was embarrassing to read about her own tastes like that, displayed on two short lines.

_ Am I that… obvious? _

She puffed; she would need the whole hour now to get her concentration back! It was all Ayu and her silly proposals’ fault!

She would never admit it, but she had indeed thought of someone.

He was surely taller than her, back then he was a whole head taller! And she didn’t think he had shrunk, with time. 

Smart? A lot, maybe too much. 

She couldn’t guess his age, but she was almost sure he was older, maybe also because of all his composure…

_ Rigidity is the most appropriate term. Icy.  _

She had to stop at that thought. She called herself silly, because she was blushing. 

Why was she thinking of that image?

A smile. The only one she had ever seen on him. 

A true, kind smile. 

Retasu felt the umpteenth hit to her head and sighed annoyed, unfolding the new piece of paper.

_ You’ll tell me the name later, okay? _

In response, that little note was too devoured by the pencil case.

She had to relax, right now she was agitated and therefore her thoughts were confusing her. She had no reason to think of Pai, she had never thought of him. Moreover, now he and the others were who knew where in a super far away place in space, so why did it matter?

She forced herself to follow the lesson and, to her great satisfaction, soon all her worries were absorbed by chemical formulas. 

Right.

That’s how her life was supposed to be.

Calm and boring, but serene.

***

“So, nothing? The usual calm and boring holiday?”

“Yes, the usual calm and boring holiday!” Ichigo burst out, now at the end of her patience “If you’re done with your third degree about me and my boyfriend now, I would like to go say hi to him before I have to go to work!”

And she ran away from Moe and Miwa, who wished her goodbye with very unsatisfied faces.

Damn Ayumi! 

Because of her, the others had tormented her all day about her and Masaya, craving to discover at all costs any hot detail of their relationship, and there had been no way of making them understand that no development had happened in that sense.

_ I don’t believe it!  _ had been the most popular sentence.

The redhead sighed; did they believe she liked that? And yet it was just like that.

They had been dating for more than three years, and still…

“Ichigo! I’m here!” 

She jerked and smiled widely, seeing Masaya in his kendo attire waving at her from the gym’s exit. She ran to him like a puppy, delighted to see him in his uniform: the longer they stayed together, the more handsome she found him!

“How has your day been, baby?”

“Now that I see you, great!”

She smiled happily; he radiantly reciprocated, shily:

“And you? All good?”

“The usual… are you working at the Café today?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled gloomy “I will be alone with Minto and Purin… Zakuro-san is still traveling and Retasu has club stuff today.”

“I understand,” he patted her head, making her meow “Try not to get too upset, okay?”

She giggled and nodded. Masaya lowered his hand and they stared in each other’s eyes; they were extremely close, and Ichigo felt her heart almost explode:

“Masaya…”

He smiled, grasped her chin with two fingers and lightly pecked her lips, for less than a minute.

“I have to go now,” he said, apologetic “I will call you as soon as I’m done, okay?”

She nodded, still dreamy, and started longingly at him until he disappeared behind the gym’s doors, then she went her way. She hadn’t even travelled a hundred meters that the enthusiasm for that kiss had vanished already, leaving her with the trouble that had gripped her for a while.

Of course, getting to third base…!

They were for sure madly in love, Ichigo had no doubts; and Masaya was sweet and thoughtful, he would never make her crave affection or attention. Yes, Ichigo could easily say she was very, very happy with him. 

_ But… _

“How is it possible,” she cried to herself “That there’s never a jolt of passion?!”

When they had started going out, they were still young enough to restrain themselves to a few cuddles and hugs, but now they were in high school! And there hadn’t been one time, one single time, when they had pushed it a little further. Not even a kiss worthy of such name.

She obviously did not want him to jump her, but she did not deny she would have loved to see that he wanted her, or that at least he could let the slighted desire be felt.

On her part, Ichigo – even if she felt a bit like a maniac thinking about it – really wanted them to take a step forward, but she didn’t know anymore how to make him understand that; the boy appeared impermeable to any kind of subliminal message, in _that_ sense.

She sighed; she felt guilty having that kind of thoughts. Masaya was basically the perfect boyfriend, and yet she still found reasons to complain. 

And then, complain about what? Wasn’t it beautiful to have a boyfriend that didn’t try to cop a feel under her clothes, that worried about her every single need and treated her like a princess?

It was amazing. At least on paper.

But, and denying it to herself was becoming increasingly difficult, sweetness was not enough; she wanted more, it was needed, and she didn’t think she could hide it for much longer.

_ Especially since when… _

Her thoughts stopped along with her steps; something had caught her attention, not a sound, but a sort of vibration through the air that was making her feline sixth sense go crazy. Attached as usual to her backpack, little Masha started flying and grew:

“ Ichigo, Ichigo, what’s happening pii? ”

“I don’t know…”

She whispered. Her brown eyes were attracted by a point beyond the trees on her right, in the center of the park: there, in the endless bright blue of the sky, the air was trembling like when it’s very warm, for no apparent reason.

“… Come with me, Masha.”

***

“Kei, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” he replied alarmed, “Let me verify.”

The computers’ sensors were going crazy: a cacophony of syncopated _beeps_ had exploded, while the monitors were shaking, disturbed by a weird static.

“A huge source of energy, and yet so disorganized…!” Keiichiro was surprised and scared like he had not been in a while “I can’t understand its nature… wait!”

A monitor started functioning again and sent out a precise signal, now well known to both Ryo and Keiichiro. The blonde-haired boy paled:

“That’s not possible…”

“There’s no mistake.” Kei replied seriously “We have to alert the girls now!”

Ryo nodded:

“Call them, I will try to get in touch with Zakuro, hoping that she landed already.”

***

It took Ichigo less than five minutes to reach her destination. Little Masha kept flying around her, chirping out of fear, but she was not paying attention to his acute calls.

In front of her, invisible if not from that position, stood what looked like a giant tunnel of white light; it was impossible to understand if it was flat or going deep in, given how bright it was, and Ichigo thought no one had noticed its presence.

_ Maybe I can see it because of the sixth sense I get from the Iriomote Cat’s DNA? _

“ Ichigo! It’s scary, Ichigo! Let’s go away, piii! ”

But she wasn’t scared.

She slowly raised an arm and stretched it in front of her: she wanted to touch it, to touch that opalescent surface, understand…

“Weren’t you taught you cannot touch things you don’t know?”

She yelled when a pale hand popped out of the white tunnel and clasped her wrist; she fell back, terrified, pulling out with her what was attached to that hand, which had started to laugh:

“You’re always the same, Ichigo.”

She opened her eyes wide at that voice, looking at the shape of the man that was floating out of nowhere; she almost fell on the ground with astonishment, while he moved away the dark green bangs, now longer than she remembered.

“K… Kisshu!”

“It’s been ages, my sweet pussycat!”

** **


	2. The doorway for the crossing: Love at first violet sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait a minute!” Ryou looked at him menacingly, “Are you by chance asking for our cooperation?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the characters, I’ve used the original names also for each technique of attack.  
> \- For girls original names of their attack are in english, so there isn't any translation  
> \- "Fuu Shi Sen" (wind fan) "Fuu Rai Sen" (lighting fan) "Fuu Sui Sen" (water fan) and "Fuu Hyou Sen" (ice fan) are Pai's basic attack  
> .  
> I’ve also used a few terms from the anime used by some characters to refer to others (or generally used in japanese):  
> \- Minto’s “onee-sama” for Zakuro is a very respectful way to call someone you’re close with and are fond of, and for whom you have a lot of respect; it can be translated as “big sister”  
> \- “san”, which Retasu almost always used to talk to others, it’s a respectful title, in this case untranslatable because it would sound like Sir/Madame/Ms, but it really works as a way to over-respectfully address people  
> \- “chan” is an affectionate suffix, generally used with children or younger people, but it can also be used in a playful way with someone you’re close with  
> \- Purin's "Taru-Taru" for Taruto is a nickname, it's sound childish and tender  
> \- In the anime Taruto calls Ichigo "baba", that means "old lady", "granny", while Ichigo calls him "chibi-ko", litteraly "little children" but she uses it in the way of "brat"

“K... Kisshu!”

“It’s been ages, my sweet pussycat!”

The redhead didn’t resist when the strong grip of the alien pulled her up, unable to react. She continued to stare at him astounded, as he, giggling, stopped flying to land near her.

He had changed enormously in three years, and at the same time it was as if not a day had passed since his departure. He had become a little taller and more robust, more of a man; the hair on his neck and his bangs were longer, although he was always wearing it into two tufts over his ears. But the sly smile, which he was giving her in that moment, and those magnetic amber eyes that were not letting her go, were identical to the last time she had seen them.

“Why those red cheeks?” he teased her mischievously “Are you that happy to see me?”

Ichigo blushed even further and took her hand away from him:

“What are you inventing?! Rather, what the hell are you doing here?!” she blurted out and pointed to the passage from which he had sprung up “A-and what...!”

She went silent when the boy got less than two inches from her:

“Hey, is this how you say hello to me after all this time?” he whispered, taking her chin between his fingers, “And to say that I was so eager to see you...”

“What are you doing?!” she protested when she felt his other arm circle her waist “Let me go right now, Kisshu!”

He didn't seem keen on doing so, and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Ichigo bit her lip trying to escape his gaze, but she wasn’t able to free herself from his hold; neither her legs nor her arms were obeying her, she was paralyzed like a moth in front of a light.

_Has he always been like that?! Damn it…_

With all the love problems she had, being looked at with so much desire was disconcerting.

“You've become so pretty, you know that?”

The redhead felt his hand come down from her cheek to her shoulder and her back, while the other slipped dangerously along her side.

“What…?!”

_Okay, that was too much._

“Don’t you try! Keep those hands down!”

“Come on, you're all grown up no- OUCH!”

Ichigo was suddenly freed from Kisshu's squeeze and she tumbled backwards, falling on her butt with a cry; still confused, she looked at Kisshu and saw another familiar figure, who was firmly gripping his arm.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Fuck, Pai, let go of me!”

Kisshu protested. He jerked his arm away briskly, glaring at his companion, and the latter replied with his most glacial glance:

“Can you stop chasing birds, at least for thirty seconds?”

Kisshu swore loudly, cursing him. Pai ignored him and turned to Ichigo, who was suddenly gripped by a dull fear: perhaps because who stood in front of her was now a man with a grim and severe appearance, perhaps because she remembered the alien’s cold ruthlessness during the final battle, but the sight of Pai had terrified her, making her think only one thing.

Aliens: that is, danger.

“Hello, MewIchigo.”

Upon hearing her name being called, the redhead stretched her hand to the pocket of her uniform, grabbing her pendant and looking at Pai as firmly as she could.

“You two are a disaster! And you, Pai, you have your usual scary face!” a lighthearted voice laughed “Look at Ichigo, she’s as white as a sheet!”

A boy just younger than her jumped beside the other two, looking at her with a sneer. He had grown, even his clothing was more mature, as he had abandoned his culotte shorts for a longer and darker pair of pants that wrapped at the ankle. His pigtails, however, were still poking out from his head like little demonic horns; in seeing him, Ichigo felt much better and let a smile slip out:

“Taruto!”

“Ohi. Hey, have you aged a little bit more, _baba_?”

Ichigo's expression changed for the umpteenth time and became furious:

“What did you call me, _chibi-ko_?!”

“Guys, so, are you done?”

A fourth voice: this one, the redhead could not link to anyone, not even by pushing her memory.

“We're here for a reason, you're just confusing this poor girl.”

Another alien came out of the light, and Ichigo left out a groan.

How many are there?! And I'm here alone, meeeeow!

The last one was probably about Pai's age; tall and with a sturdy but dry physique, he wore clothes similar to those of the others, with long black trousers and a dark blue short-sleeved shirt. His hair was an almost black chestnut, kept slightly long on his neck and with a little tail as it was customary among his people, which started from his fringe and twirled behind the ear and down on the shoulder. Compared to his friends he had a more mature face, but it was extremely sweet and kind, as kind was the smile he addressed to an astonished Ichigo:

“Don't worry, we're not here with bad intentions.” he glanced fleetingly at Pai, who didn't bat an eyelid, “And I assure you that Kisshu won't try to touch even a single hair. Right, Kisshu?”

The other responded by grunting and muttering, moving his arms behind his head.

“My name is Eyner,” he smiled at her again and extended his hand “Come on, I'll help you up.”

Ichigo accepted, still hesitant, but reassured by the boy's kindness; he did not stop smiling at her for a second and she studied him, still a little dazed: he had an incredible color of the eyes, gray in the center and fading into a deep dark blue around the edge of the iris.

“Okay. End of the pleasantries. Eyn, are you going to contemplate each other much longer?!”

“Kisshu, stop it,” sighed Eyner smugly, insensitive to his companion’s barks, “You only say stupid things.”

“E-excuse me…” Ichigo finally found the strength to mutter, “B-but what's going on?”

Eyner sighed uncomfortably and grimaced:

“Sorry, you're right. You see...”

“ _Ribbon Mint Echo_!”

The four aliens jumped in the air, avoiding the blow by a hair: the mewbird, about ten meters from them, was flying towards Ichigo, her tensed bow aimed at the boys, with a menacing attitude.

“Ichigo, are you okay?”

“Yes, Minto, but wait…”

“Keiichiro's sensors are never wrong, huh?” the brunette continued sourly, not listening to her friend “And you have also increased in number, beautiful!”

Eyner, who seemed to expect such a reaction, but had to have the disposition of a peacemaker, raised his hands in a sign of surrender and approached cautiously:

“Calm down. We're not here to fight, we…”

He had to skitter sharply to the side so that Minto's energy arrow wouldn't pierce his belly.

“I didn't remember this old gal being so stubborn as well!”

“You're going to pay for this too, you know Taruto?”

“Minto, liste… !”

Ichigo fell backwards again, caught off guard by another shot of the brunette directed at the aliens; Pai frowned and his fan appeared in his hand.

“He-hey Pai, what the hell are you going to do?”

Eyner murmured. Pai didn't even answer:

“ _Fuu Shi Sen_!”

A massive blast of air hit Minto fully, pushing her away and almost making her fall to the ground: a second before she crashed, Kisshu appeared behind her, grabbed her and, in order to avoid more quarrels, blocked her arms behind her back. Eyner stared at his teammates quite unnerved:

“You and the word ‘diplomacy’ don't exist in the same sentence!”

“Would you rather have her reduce us to skewers?” Pai said nipping, “Now at least she'll have to listen to us.”

Minto was writhing like an eel, trying in vain to rid herself of Kisshu; he wasn't holding her strongly enough to hurt her, but not being able to move didn't give her any reason to be calm.

“See, you don't need to get so tired trying to hit us with your arrows, we're here as ambassadors.”

The amused boy told her. Then he lowered his chin to her shoulder and, sinking his cheek in her hair, whispered in her ear:

“If you promise to be a good girl and you don't try to kill us, little bird, I'll let you go. Otherwise I’ll drag you to your friends carrying you on my shoulders, you choose.”

She stiffened in disdain, no one had ever dared to take such confidence with her. As she was at a disadvantage she nodded, defeated, tilting her chin up and stiffening more than usual:

“All right.”

Satisfied, Kisshu fluttered to Ichigo and then slowly loosened his grip:

“Great, as we were – OUCH!”

With a move worthy of a boxer, Minto had hit him square in the middle of his shoulder with a hook, her face raging:

“Don't you dare touch me ever again, have I made myself clear?”

“Ohi… What got into you, you ugly crow…!”

“Please, that's enough!” Ichigo pleaded, “I can’t understand anything anymore, can you please go on telling me what is going on?!”

“I am asking what’s happening!” Minto blurted out “Did you see who's here? And you don't transform yourself?!”

“We told you,” Eyner repeated wearily, “We are not here to fight against you.”

“Ah! And why should I believe you?” she replied with disdain.

“Because Ichigo was alone with us before you arrived, you stupid crow,” Kisshu hissed, still rubbing his shoulder, “If we had wanted to take her out, we would have done it.”

Minto glared at him but did not reply. Behind him, Eyner rubbed his neck; it would be much, much more complicated than expected…

“Well, there are many things to explain to you… Ichigo, right?” he smiled at the redhead, “I also think that your friends should know, indeed, they must know.”

***

Retasu was running so fast that she had risked losing her backpack on the street several times; by now she was out of breath, but she couldn’t stop, she had to get to the Café as quickly as possible.

When her pendant had activated, after what had felt like a century, conveying Ryou's message about a new arrival of the aliens, she couldn’t believe it.

“It's a mistake,” she had told herself.

In a mixture of fear, confusion and turmoil, she had left the club with an excuse and had run away, only to have to stop as soon as she had arrived in view of the park. Another communication and another surge of fear, what had happened?

“ _Fzzz… Change of plans,_ ” Keiichiro's voice, scratched by interference, was low and anxious, “ _Come all to the Café as soon as you can_.”

It didn't make sense.

Why an alien warning, and then a convocation to headquarters?

When she saw the large pink structure of the Café, she pushed herself once more, exhausted from her run and for the afternoon heat; she rushed along the path and almost jumped over the entrance steps, slamming the door open. She had to lean on her knees, completely breathless; she lifted her head slowly and to her right, from behind her glasses fogged by her panting, saw Ichigo and Minto sitting at a small table: the first looked at her worried, while the latter did not even seem to see her, given how tightly she was clenching her eyes in anger.

“Well, now we’re only missing Purin.”

Ryou's voice made her head jerk up, but it was a familiar shadow to his left that caught her eye.

Retasu snapped up like a spring; she looked at him in disbelief and he nodded slightly, barely curling his lips in what seemed the shadow of a smile:

“Hello.”

A greeting so normal and unexpected, that for Retasu also overshadowed the question of why he was there.

 _Hello_? Had he said _hello_?!

It couldn’t be that Pai was saying _hello_ to her!

Why did weird things have to all happen together?!

She was grateful that her face was in flames because of her run, because it would mask her incredible blushing.

“P… Pai-san…”

“Oh, yeah, don’t worry little fish, we're here too! But don't you mind us.”

Kisshu's mockery made her flinch again and, unfortunately, she could no longer hide that her cheek were becoming as red as a lively blaze.

“K-K-Kisshu-san…! And… Taruto?! B-but what's going on…?”

“Oh, nothing important!” Kisshu kept teasing her, his little brother backing him up and sneering “If you’d like, we'll leave you two alone to chat for a while longer.”

Taruto held back a laugh, making an irritating noise from his nose. Retasu looked down, deathly ashamed, but Pai didn't even seem to notice:

“You two are idiots.”

He merely commented.

“I agree.” Minto’s cutting remark was accompanied by a ferocious glare to the two aliens “Are you here for something important or to torment my friend?!”

“It's a very important thing.”

Eyner sighed discouraged, he wasn’t sure he could be very convincing with those two sneering behind him:

“But it would be better if we told everyone…”

Minto grunted her assent. Retasu, taking advantage of the fact that she no longer had everyone's attention on her, sneaked close to her friends and slouched down in a chair, keeping her eyes in admiration of the floor.

What’s the matter with you?! Stupid!

“You all right?”

She barely lifted her head at that whisper. It was Eyner that had spoken, and he was standing a short distance from her; seeing him, Retasu grimaced confused.

“We haven't introduced ourselves yet, I'm Eyner – he said kindly – I think you already know, but… forget those two, Kisshu and Taruto are children.”

She smiled back and felt less embarrassed. That guy reminded her a little bit of Keiichiro, he was the kind of person that released the aura of an older brother, who always made you feel at ease.

“So only the little monkey is missing?” asked Kisshu, who, having lost his reason for laughter, was getting tired of waiting, “And the purple demon?”

Ichigo looked at him skeptically:

“Who?”

“That sort of fury called Zakuro.”

“Don't you dare speak ill of my onee-sama!”

Minto hissed; Kisshu looked at her derisive:

“What an angry face, little bird! Be careful, you’ll get wrinkles.”

“You, ugly…!”

Ryou stepped in between the two by waving his arm, shutting them up:

“Zakuro is on her way,” he explained drily, “It’s going to take a while, so for now she’ll be on the phone.”

And while saying that, he laid a cordless phone on the table at which the girls were sitting.

“When Purin arrives, I’ll call her and…”

The last words were covered by a deafening scream of joy; Purin was standing on the threshold, in her glorious middle school uniform, with the biggest and brightest smile she could muster stamped on her face. Upon seeing her, Taruto finally stopped laughing and froze, feeling as if something huge had hit him in the stomach. Luckily for him, it all happened too quickly for someone to focus on the high tone of his voice, or the sweetness with which he uttered her name:

“Purin…”

“Taru-Taru!”

The blonde dashed into the room like a lightning bolt and seized the boy by his neck; rather than a hug, it looked like she was kicking off a wrestling match.

“Taru-Taru! You're back! You're back!”, she warbled at her peak of happiness, “Taru-Taruuu!”

“A-are you done with that idiotic name?!” he muttered, half suffocated by her embrace and with an overall inability to speak fluently, so much was she stuck to him, “Get off, I can’t feel my neck!”

“Uff, you're mean Taru-Taru!”

She puffed out her cheeks, then crossed her arms and scowled at him, but she didn't move from where she was: that was embarrassing for the boy, given that because of her jump he had tumbled to the ground and now found himself half lying down, with Purin quietly sitting astride on him. The gasp with which Taruto spoke felt like the breath of an asthmatic:

“Could you get off me?”

“You’re very unpleasant!” she cried, apparently not giving much thought to their position, “You’re cold! An icicle!”

“C-cold? What's that got to do with anything, you…!”

“Okay, I'd say you can talk about that later.”

Purin was gently grasped from under her armpits and forced to get up by Eyner, who was seriously worried that Taruto was going to have a heart attack given how red in the face he was.

“Furthermore, we kind of have a fairly urgent matter to discuss,” he zealously continued “Do you mind delaying the lecture?”

Taruto did not comment on that last statement, especially because he was trying to get his heart back to a regular rhythm. Purin was still frowning but nodded to the newcomer.

Ichigo sighed tenderly at that sight: she knew that those two had become friends, but she did not believe that Purin had missed Taruto so much.

“You see, kitty cat?”

Kisshu's mellow voice, suddenly next to her ear, almost knocked her out of her chair.

“That's how you should have greeted me, you know?”

“D-don't say stupid things!”

His possible answer was covered by Keiichiro's handclap; the man cordially smiled to all of them and announced:

“I'd say we can skip the pleasantries, right?” he looked at the aliens and his expression became more serious, “What do you have to tell us?”

Eyner took a deep breath, looking at the members of his audience – including the phone that transmitted Zakuro's voice – one by one: they looked like ordinary girls and, moreover, a little frightened as well. Even after seeing one of them transformed and ready to fight, he could not stop thinking that their request was a little cruel.

_They're practically children._

He sighed, after all even Taruto was not much older than a child; and, in any case, whether or not they accepted, their world was also in danger; and they deserved to know more than other people, after what they had done for his planet.

“Do you remember the Mew Aqua that Kisshu and the boys took away after Deep Blue was defeated?”

“Of course.”

Minto's voice was worried as she exchanged fleeting glances with her friends.

“Good. Well, as soon as the crystal reached our planet, it reacted, because of the devastating environmental imbalance in which it raged. I don't know if I can explain it to you well… basically, the Mew Aqua has reached the center of our planet and there it has joined the nucleus, beginning to warm and irradiate with positive energy the whole surface.”

“So your planet is reborn!”

Purin exclaimed cheerfully as she looked at Taruto; at that, the boy lit up and started saying excitedly:

“Yes! You should see it! It's just...!”

“It doesn't matter.” Pai interrupted him, “Let’s not waste any more time on silly things.”

Taruto, unlike he would have done in the past, instead of getting angry bowed his head and nodded with a rumble, and Eyner continued:

“Yes, our planet has begun to live again,” he confirmed, smiling to Purin, “In three years, we have come to have a completely livable homeland. But…”

“But?”

“We’ve ended up with some ‘little internal problems’, kitten.”

Ryou muttered something under his breath, he already disliked Kisshu for more than one reason, but since he had reappeared again, he had really started to get on his nerves.

“What do you mean by little problem?”

The American hissed.

“So much bitterness, blondie. You shouldn’t be so unpleasant, we're here to save your asses, too, you know?”

“Come on, keep quiet!”, blurted out Ichigo, “Listen, ... Eyner? Please, finish your explanation.”

“The ‘little problem’ that Kisshu was mentioning,” he resumed listlessly, “Concerns some of our compatriots.”

“Even though the planet is living again, not everyone is happy about it.,” Kisshu said, “Some believe that we should still have conquered Earth, with everything that comes with it.”

At that last statement Ichigo felt a shiver run down her back. Eyner continued:

“At first, this was limited to a few bouts of protests on the street and a few small uproars. Then…,” he paused, weighing how to explain the matter, “Among them, a group of soldiers with a more belligerent purpose teamed up. They had the possibilities and the ability to go and take Earth even without the consent of our superiors, and all the intention to do so.”

“Yup,”snapped Taruto, “Not to mention that they are blond fanatical fools who...”

“Taruto.”

He jolted; Pai had not screamed, but it was as if he had. Taruto bit his tongue, he did not have to go into the details of that matter: it was their problem, unless the girls agreed to help them, but even so it would not have been their place to inform them.

“If you still have to talk about stupid things, I advise you to just keep quiet.”

A moment of intense silence fell over them; Ryou frowned even more, he had never liked half-said sentences.

“ _And therefore?_ ”

Zakuro's voice was croaking and low through the phone, accompanied by the background noise of the car she was travelling in.

“ _What do we have to do with this?_ ”

“I was getting there,” Eyner sighed, “Their plan was to obtain the Mew Aqua, to secure a source of energy sufficient for their purposes; we tried to stop them from taking it, but…”

He paused for the umpteenth time and glanced at Kisshu: the green-haired alien had suddenly become elusive and had taken to admiring the ceiling while whistling.

“There was a small accident.”

“Call it ‘small’…!”

“Taruto, I swear that if Pai doesn’t cut your tongue out, I will!”

Kisshu hissed, uncomfortable.

“The crystal broke.”

Eyner concluded quickly, ignoring them. At that, the four Mew Mew jumped up to their feet, their faces white as sheets.

“B-broken?”

Minto leaned over the chair to look at them astonished:

“Are you really sure?! The Mew Aqua… Broken?! And… How…?!”

“Broken. Smashed. Disintegrated. Puff!” Kisshu commented sarcastically “And as if by magic, a swarm of drops of Mew Aqua scattered everywhere… But why are you making those faces?”

“We dreamed that…”

Purin whispered, still bewildered; both Ryou, Keiichiro and the aliens stared at them without understanding.

“What are you talking about?”

“ _We dreamed of the Mew Aqua shattering and dissolving, Shirogane,_ ” Zakuro replied in a flat tone, “ _Just as Kisshu described. Less than two days ago._ ”

“What?! And why didn't you say anything?!”

Ichigo and the girls shrunk down on their chairs.

“We didn’t think it was important,” the redhead, “At least not until they mentioned it.”

She pointed to the four aliens, who had begun confabulating anxiously.

“So MoiMoi was right,” Pai pensively said, “It’s quite the problem.”

“Indeed. At this point, I'd say they should meet both her and Teruga…”

“Excuse me, what are you talking about?”

“Birdie, cut us some slack, we are deliberating.”

“What are you talking about?”

The brunette repeated sharply: after all that mess, she hadn’t the slightest intention of waiting for answers. Eyner shared another look with his teammates and took on a serious expression:

“When the Mew Aqua broke apart,” he went on explaining, “It generated an enormous energy; so much energy that the fragments did not only disperse on our planet, but also generated ‘bridges’ for other places.”

“Other places?”

Kisshu made a sarcastic grimace:

“Does anyone remember that big white tunnel, the one we popped out from after a little stroll?”

“You're kidding!” Ichigo cried out “You want to tell me that that thing is a… How do you say…? A… ?!”

“A passage to your planet?” Ryo concluded speechless, “But it is… incredible…!”

“I didn't think the Mew Aqua could have that much energy.”

Keiichiro murmured reverently. Pai crossed his arms to his chest:

“Neither did we. But it's a very unstable energy, especially since we’re not talking about crystal fragments anymore.”

The earthlings observed him curiously.

“For some reason (perhaps because it was actively releasing energy, into the core of our planet) the Mew Aqua dispersed in its active form, that is, the liquid one.”

“The one we used to release with the Mew Aqua Rod?”

Purin asked, pointing to herself; Pai barely nodded:

“But the routes created are not completely safe. We don’t know how long they can last, nor how long they will remain in the form in which they are; in all likelihood, indeed, they could collapse or expand, threatening the safety of the places they touch.”

“ _And therefore, also that of our planet,_ ” Zakuro pointed out, “ _Since one of these passages enters directly into our house…_ ”

Pai grunted in agreement.

“That's why you came? To warn us about this cute little gift?”

Hissed Ryou furiously.

“Not really.” Eyner replied, “See, the passages are unstable because of the Mew Aqua that is at one of the ends of the path. The solution would be to find it…”

“ _But?_ ”

Eyner paused, looking surprised at the phone; whoever was on the other side, she was a very perceptive girl.

“Yes, there is a but,” he admitted, “Even those who tried to steal the Mew Aqua are looking for its remains; to prevent them from recovering it, we were forced to destroy any tool useful to find the crystal, disturbing with special frequencies those that allowed detection.”

“They are not able to create a detector ex novo,” Pai added, “But we cannot use our tools anymore. Without a way to locate the Mew Aqua, we are completely blind.”

“And, for the record,” Kisshu pointed out, “Our world would be in trouble as well if we left everything like this, okay? So yes, no goody-goody intentions, blondie, we're here because our asses are in trouble too.”

“I have never known a more vulgar being…”

Minto whispered with clenched teeth.

“Our hands were tied,” continued Eyner, this time with a hint of discomfort, “Until Pai thought of you.”

“Of… Us?”

Whispered Retasu, embarrassed. The dark-haired alien looked at the four girls with his usual indifference:

“You are able to perceive the crystal with solely your own bodies, right?”

“Not really!” Purin exclaimed, “Theoretically yes, but it only happens in certain cases and it does not even work too well!”

“Only if we are emotionally… Here, let's say unstable.”

The mewporpoise mumbled again.

“We had verified this theory.”

Pai said calmly. Retasu huddled up, she didn't really like the idea that the boy and his other friends had studied such a thing.

“But, after what you said, that is that you dreamed of the crystal breaking and all that, I think we can support a second hypothesis as well.”

“That is?”

Keiichiro and Ryou came forward, a scientist’s curious demeanor and the friend’s worried expression mingling on their faces in a confused way.

“These girls reacted to the crystallized Mew Aqua,” Pai explained, “But their reaction will increase in comparison with the liquid form, especially if in a state of energy release.”

“Ehm…” Ichigo raised her arm as if in class, feeling a little dumb, “Translation for mere mortals?”

“That you'll light up like candles much more easily, kitten.”

“It just means that it will be easier for you to perceive it,” Eyner stepped in, “And that's what we came here for.”

“What do you mean?”

“We are not able to find the fragments, you are. We don’t know how many are missing, but at least one is here on Earth; but there could be many more, and many more routes. Every passage is potentially dangerous…”

“Wait a minute!” Ryou looked at him menacingly, “Are you by chance asking for our cooperation?!”

“Not yours,” Kisshu pointed out, “But theirs, my dear terrestrial.”

“And we're not the ones asking for it, our superiors are,” Pai added coldly, “And they ask to talk to the girls.”

“There’s no way!” Minto blurted out, “I have no intention of getting involved…!”

“Purin will come with you!”

Her friends looked at her astonished:

“What are you saying?”

“They asked us for help,” she simply replied, “And we not only owe them our lives, but Taruto is also my friend, so I will help him.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Actually, Purin is right...”

“Retasu!”

The girl ignored Minto's protests, keeping her chin between her fingers:

“We owe them a debt. Besides, I think if they wanted to hurt us, they would have done it already, right?”

More convinced, she turned to the four aliens and gave them a kind smile:

“I will come too, if they wish to speak to us; and, if I can, I'll help you.”

Kisshu let out a sneer and elbowed Pai in the ribs, whispering:

“I've always said that that little fish is cool.”

His brother didn't even give him an answer.

“They've gone mad… You're completely mad!” Ryou protested, “Do you want to enter enemy territory like this, as if nothing happened?!”

“It's not enemy territory, that’s nonsense,” Purin replied, extremely relaxed, “And I wasn't afraid of them when we first fought, should I be afraid now that they're friends?”

“That is very comforting.”

Taruto mumbled, offended.

“Well, we were friends before, weren't we?”

The blonde smiled; Taruto, irked, blushed:

“I don't think so…!”

She ignored him, giggling.

“ _… Before I decide, I'd like to talk to your superiors as well._ ”

“Z-Zakuro onee-sama!” Minto's voice was desperate, “You too?!”

“ _There is certainly something big happening_ ”, the Mewwolf continued calmly _“And since our guests have been (voluntarily, I have reasons to believe) vague regarding certain details, I would like to have the whole picture from the responsible party._ ”

Eyner scratched his cheek, lost in thought:

“Damn… And where did this intuition come from?”

“ _Sixth sense._ ”

The boy let an admiring smile slip. That wasn’t a sixth sense, that girl had a scary instinct! He was really curious to meet her…

“But onee-sama…”

“ _I will be there in less than an hour,_ ” she continued undaunted, “ _And I will go. Ichigo, Minto, you think about it._ ”

And the communication suddenly was cut off. Minto began fidgeting with her hands, mumbling to himself:

“It’s not possible… Why always such things?! But… If the onee-sama trusts them… but… but…”

Ichigo looked at her sympathetically and sighed.

Never a chance for some peace!

Almost an hour passed and still there was no trace of Zakuro. Ichigo, tired of the heavy atmosphere that permeated the ground floor, had climbed up to the terrace that looked out to the garden and she was leaning against the railing, sighing.

In her heart she was certain that the aliens would never come to them for no good reason, let alone ask for their help. She also knew that she, more than the other girls, owed her life to those boys, Kisshu especially. He had loved her deeply and she had always rejected him, without giving too much credit to his words, opening her eyes only when she had seen him pierced from end to end with a blade.

The treacherous tears she had wept at the time were not enough reckoning, nor could she be so cruel to deny him help now that Kisshu asked for it.

On the other hand, it all seemed so unfair to her… To be dragged for the umpteenth time into battles she had never asked, nor would she ever wish, to take part.

She sighed again, nestling her face behind her arms on the balustrade:

“What should I do?”

“You don't wanna go, do you?”

She jolted when she heard Ryou speak. She turned around and found herself face to face with the blond, his face stiffened with worry, and clearly felt her stomach clench.

Why, why, dammit why had he been having such an effect on her for some time?!

She could not say that Ryou had ever been completely indifferent to her. Of course, he made her angry often and willingly, he was blunt and devoid of any kind of tact, but at times he became incredibly cute and caring: an ambivalence that made her feel very often confused and that more than once, much against her will, had caused her strong palpitations. Then she had started dating Masaya and all that chaos had disappeared, evaporated like snow in the sun in front of her one, true love.

At least that’s how it should have been.

So why – Ichigo prayed divinities and saints of all religions to answer that question – as soon as her problems in her relationship with Masaya had begun, the racing heart had come back?

It was as if between her and Ryou had formed an electrical circuit that lacked a few parts, or had a disconnected wire. She didn't understand why his rare kindness shook her so much, she didn't understand why he cared so much about her, as he was doing at that precise moment, she understood and wanted that story to end.

After all, I'm in love with Masaya. We have some problems, but it's silly stuff, our love is stronger!

“Ichigo, can you answer me?”

Ryou insisted more abruptly. Ichigo turned to glare at him, at least the boy's awful attitude helped her a lot in making her tension disappear.

“On what?”

“You’re not going to trust the aliens, are you?”

She looked at him annoyed by the cruel tone in which he had mentioned Kisshu and the others:

“Don't be so defensive. After all, Purin and Retasu are right, we owe them our life.”

The boy did not answer, knowing full well that she was right; he too owed Pai.

“Moreover, it’s just to go there and talk…”

“That's what they say!”

“They could have killed me as soon as I met them, they were four against one!” she burst out, “But they didn't!”

“I know.”

“Then you still don't trust them!?”

“I could never trust them!”

“Well, I've decided to trust!” she replied, stubbornly, “And I’ve decided that I'll go!”

She stood with her arms along her sides looking at him furiously; he peered at her with a hard look, annoyed, tucking his hands into his pockets:

“Do whatever the hell you want, you stubborn child.”

And he turned on his heels and left her alone. Ichigo started stomping her feet, he was really unbearable!

_Why the hell is he coming to lecture me if then he tells me to do what I want?!_

No wonder her palpitation! Hers was a psychosomatic reaction to Ryou's presence, there was no doubt!

Her attention was grabbed by an elegant figure who darted towards the driveway, Zakuro had finally arrived.

Eyner got more comfortable in the chair and looked around trying for the umpteenth time to reconnect the girls' faces to the names he had seen on Pai and MoiMoi’s screens, so as not to have to ask them.

He knew that the red-haired one was Ichigo, also because Kisshu – taking advantage of having an interlocutor who knew nothing about Earth – had told him all about her ad nauseam. If he had had any doubt left, his friend had seen to surely remove it, with how much he was clinging to the girl like an octopus; even in that moment that she had disappeared, he kept looking for her out of the corner of his eye. It was almost heartbreaking to see: Kisshu had spent the last three years tormenting himself because he couldn't see "his little kitten," but Eyner hadn’t believe his obsession was so desperate.

Having seen her transformed, he also knew Minto, who was hybridized with a bird. It wouldn't have been hard for him to remember her, especially if she kept that haughty, angry air.

The girl with the glasses that had willingly agreed to help them was definitely Retasu: in the profiles they had analyzed she was described as quiet and resistant to confrontations, all too inclined to dialogue.

The fourth, the youngest, was undoubtedly Purin; he had heard all sorts of things about her, especially from Taruto. He almost laughed when he thought about it, particularly seeing him now all busy chatting with the blonde: he knew he had missed her, but perhaps he had been more nostalgic than Eyner thought.

_The cat, the bird, the monkey, the aquatic animal… The wolf is missing._

The girl with whom they had talked on the phone. He could not picture her, the others had never talked too much about her; only as an extremely strong and dangerous fighter.

Suddenly the door of the Café opened. All the girls got up to meet Zakuro and Eyner also stood up, curious to see what that wiseass-tongued warrior looked like.

It was enough to catch a glimpse of her, that he froze on the spot, feeling his heart skip at least two beats.

Zakuro gracefully entered in the room, a serious expression on her face made of perfect features; she wore her usual outfit, a black miniskirt with a jacket and high-heeled boots that enhanced her slender and shapely body, devoid of even the last hints of adolescence.

Eyner swallowed loudly, his mouth suddenly dry.

He couldn't take his eyes off her as she talked to her friends about what to do.

The elegant and sinuous walk. The magnetic blue eyes. The long wisteria-colored hair, that she was lazily fixing behind the ear.

“So you are?”

He jolted; he had not even noticed that she had come close to him. He stared at her, red in the face, for at least half a minute, before Kisshu reawakened him with a slight kick in the shins.

“E-Eyner. Name’s Eyner.”

He stretched a smile that became only a sluggish grimace; Zakuro barely reciprocated, but an eyebrow darted high with irony as she went past the boy.

_Nice. I've been on Earth less than two hours, and I already would like to sink underground._

“So?” the brunette urged flatly, “Were we not in a hurry?”

***

“All right, I'm not so convinced about it now.”

Ichigo murmured in a subtle voice; she sought comfort in her friends, all nose up to study the white passage to the planet of the aliens and all clearly nervous.

“It's much creepier than you described…”

“Don’t worry little fish,” Kisshu said with superiority, “Apart for the first few seconds of blindness, you don't feel a thing.”

The unconvinced girl twisted her hands, she couldn’t hide her frown; Kisshu had taken to giving her that nickname, but she did not like it too much.

“We'd better hurry up.”

Nodding to Pai, Eyner entered the passage and disappeared. After a few seconds Zakuro straightened her back and followed him with a firm pace, followed right away by Minto.

“What is it, does it scare you Purin?”

Taruto teased her; the blonde looked at him with a crooked smile:

“A little bit.”

He did not expect such a reply; he saw her biting her lips nervously, and with a shy smile told her:

“Come on,” he stepped towards the white light, holding out his hand, “I will escort you.”

Purin smiled widely and squeezed his hand, going inside with him. In seeing them, Retasu seemed to take courage, took two deep breaths, and, clenching her eyes shut, threw herself headfirst into the passage. Ichigo looked at her, alarmed:

“Tell me there's no ravine or anything like that on the other side…”

Kisshu laughed, while Pai didn’t have the slightest reaction and followed the others.

“It's just the two of us, kitten. Shall we?” the boy got dangerously close to her “Or would you rather stay here with me a bit? We can do that, you know?”

“You're such an idiot, Kisshu!”

She screamed, now the same color as her hair; Kisshu made a disappointed face, but quickly recovered and with a smile grabbed her arm, pulling her slowly towards the passage:

“Let’s go then?”

She gained another shade of red because of the way he was holding her, gently stroking her skin with his fingertips, but she didn't have time to protest that she was swallowed up by the light.

For a very long moment she found herself completely blind. With her eyes closed as well, she had nothing but white in front of her, a white so dazzling and bright that it hurt her eyesight.

Apart from that, she didn't really feel any difference, no particular feeling that indicated that she was going through a space-time tunnel; just an absolute silence. After a couple of minutes, in which the light began to fade, she began to feel something new: a slight sigh of fresh wind on her hair, a light scent of grass, muffled rustling of leaves. Gradually she was starting to see again, until suddenly she and Kisshu were on the other side and Ichigo was dazzled a second time, in that case by the light of an unknown sun.

She shut her eyes trying to get used to it, but she soon forced herself to open them and capture any detail of the incredible landscape in front of her.

They stood on a slight grassy slope surrounded by towering and unknown trees, similar to oaks for the size of their trunks, but with broad and sagging foliage like that of willows. A whole forest of those giants stretched behind them, while in front of them the slope continued gently into a nearby valley: in the middle of the valley, surrounded by a lush green, stood a city not so imposing, but beautiful in its harmony and in the richness of its buildings; in seeing it, with its buildings so linear and clean, Ichigo immediately thought of the city that they had seen a long time before, extrapolated from Masha’s data.

“This place is so cool!!!”

Purin was laughing exited, running in a circle without failing to look around frantically:

“It's beautiful, too beautiful!”

“You're right. It's great.”

Retasu added, adjusting her glasses on her nose. Ichigo noticed that her friend kept absent-mindedly cleaning her knees and hands just slightly stained with dirt, a sign that she must had indeed tumbled out of the passage; Ichigo sighed, that girl had serious problems with her balance.

Zakuro and Minto were also mesmerized by the place, but if the first was not saying anything and merely admired in silence, as she always did, the latter did not seem inclined to give any positive comment: still irritated by the situation, she was stubbornly standing with clenched lips, and seemed to become even more bitter when Kisshu, with her usual teasing, rudely told her:

“Soooo? Not too bad, eh, miss sourness?”

She answered by piercing him with her gaze:

“I thought I understood that there was a certain urgency!”

“Yes, it's true,” said Eyner, trying to ignore the lightning darts that those were sending each other, “We must go.”

“Where? There?”

The mewwolf asked quickly, and pointed to the city.

“No.”

Pai answered, even more concise than she had, and pointed to a building almost hidden by vegetation, just under two hundred meters from them. Without adding anything else he headed there, and the others followed him little by little.

“Ehm… Kisshu.”

The boy turned distractedly, noting Ichigo with her head tilted to the side, blushing:

“Could you… let me go, please?”

And he felt her trying to withdraw the arm around which he still held his hand firmly. The boy nodded, but smiling cunningly:

“Whatever you want, kitty cat.”

His hand slipped away calmly, avidly grazing her skin until her wrist and fingers; Ichigo swore against herself when she blushed at that well-studied and lascivious gesture, while Kisshu seemed satisfied and smiling candidly he followed the others, calm as if nothing had happened.

He didn't know what had happened between Ichigo and her cod in those three years, but now he had the confirmation that something was not right.

Yes, Ichigo was rejecting him, but not as she used to do. Three years earlier, she would never have allowed him to grasp her without putting up a fight with all her might, nor would she have had the slightest reaction to any gesture a little flirtier.

But now she reacted, oh, how she reacted!

He couldn't have hoped for anything better. After all that time, he never imagined he'd have more chances than he had had during their first encounter, maybe… He could really win over his kitten.

His problems boiled down to Pai and Eyner. His half-brother had never liked – not wrongly – his infatuation with the mewneko, and he certainly wouldn’t have liked to replicate the problems that had occurred in the days of Deep Blue.

_Just because I prevented a near-death trap in which all five Mew Mew were involved…! Pai bears too much resentment!_

The second problem was Eyner. Partly out of friendship – the brunette hadn't been too happy to know the details of the "troubles" Kisshu had slipped into because of the redhead – partly because he wasn't so good at splitting work and pleasure and, in terms of their mission, it could become a problem. But on that matter he might had received unexpected help, at least judging by Eyner's reaction to Zakuro and the way he continued to furtively observe her.

Might as well give things a little boost.

After all, if the sin had been shared, it would have been less serious, wouldn't it?

“Yo, Eyn.”

“Kisshu. What is it?” the brunette searched for Ichigo for a moment, “You're not still bothering her, are you?”

“Me? I'm a good kid, what do you think?”

Eyner did not reply, when Kisshu put on that smile he lied so unashamedly that it wasn't even worth arguing about.

“I wanted to know how you were doing.”

He continued in an amused tone; Eyner blushed a bit, understanding very well what he was talking about:

“…How pathetic was I on a scale from one to ten?”

“Mmm… I would say twelve, twelve and a half.”

“Thank you,” Eyn uttered gravely, “You are of great comfort.”

He sighed heavily as Kisshu sneered:

“I never expected such a reaction from you!” That was true, he had been very surprised by it, “She’s exactly your type, huh?”

“Kisshu, please stop, it’s not the time to think about such things.”

“Come on! Besides, it's fun, I've never seen anyone fall in love so fast!”

Eyner placed a hand on his friend’s mouth as discreetly as he could and looked at him very seriously, blushing suddenly:

“Take it easy!” he whispered, barely audible, “Do not start with these mind games, and, above all, do not say them out loud! She just struck me, okay? That's it. Now hold back your sick mind, thank you, I've already gave a pretty miserable impression without you adding anything to it.”

Kisshu nodded, mostly to free himself from Eyner's grip that was almost choking him, and just shrugged and accelerated his pace. He didn't have to insist any further for the time being. In the meantime, however, he had planted the idea and he knew that Eyner, after all, was too simple for him to be wrong.

They all stopped behind Pai, who was standing in front of the building he had pointed to earlier. It was a rectangular structure, very simple and bare; the exterior walls were of a curious color that appeared iridescent, or perhaps reflective given how it became almost invisible when the vegetation brushed against it, waved by the wind. There were no windows, but simple rectangular holes in the stone and, overall, the building was all too sober and unadorned, disappointing enough when compared to the city.

Pai stretched his hand to the entrance, an inlaid door just embedded in the wall, and placed it on an invisible surface a few centimeters from it; around his hand a profile of artificial blue light lit up, an electric noise was heard, and a high-pitched voice hummed:

“Yes, yes, yes ♪? Who is it, who is it?”

Pai sighed, stressed:

“MoiMoi, what kind of question is it.”

“Ah, Pai-chan!”

The door opened with a suction and the Mew Mew saw a slight glimmer in the air as the invisible barrier vanished.

“Are you all there? The girls, too?”

The voice continued to hum; Ichigo clearly felt that someone was looking at her even though she didn't understand where the stare was coming from.

“Aaah, there they are!”

“MoiMoi, are you done being a fool?” Pai hissed coldly, “We’re coming down. Call Councilman Teruga.”

“Okay, okay, sir yes sir! You’re so boring…”

The group followed the boy into the building. Immediately after the entrance, a corridor quickly sloped down, revealing a gloomy and dark structure.

“Meow, what a grim place!”

“And… Exactly, what place would it be?”

Purin asked in a worried tone and reached out in the semi-darkness, looking for Taruto's hand, who grabbed hers timidly, taking advantage of the darkness.

“It's a research center,” explained Eyner, “We’ve been using it as an operating base after the accident with the Mew Aqua, it is safe and not too exposed, so we can avoid problems with the population, and minimize the leakage of information.”

“There’s just three people working here,” Kisshu added under his breath and pointed to his older brother, “Under the command of Our Lord of Icicles.”

Hearing that, Purin, Taruto, Minto, Ichigo and even Retasu had to stifle a laugh; Pai, however, caught that, and stared at them ferociously from over his shoulder. Unfortunately, it was Retasu who caught the silent lecture, being the only one on the line of sight of the boy who menacing watched her for a few moments, and then turned around and accelerated the pace.

“Ouch, sorry, little fish,” Kisshu whispered, overtaking her, “My bad.”

The mewporpoise didn’t answer him and didn’t stop, but crossed her arms over her chest clumsily.

After a couple of minutes, they arrived in a small oval room with a table and some chairs, which resembled a small conference room.

There were three people; the two youngest, standing, were a man and a woman.

The woman, or rather the girl, had to be more or less Ichigo’s age, although she had one of those sweet faces that make it impossible to define her precise age. She was small and petite, one could barely make out her curves, and she had bright light-purple hair that came down bouncing all around her shoulders, with two long tails on the sides of her head, and honey-colored eyes, large and cheerful. She wore a jade green shirt with a round neckline, cinched at the waist, with three-quarter bell-shaped sleeves; underneath, she was wearing a short, puffy bottle green skirt from which sprouted the strangest footwear Ichigo had ever seen, a mixture of ballet flats and tights.

The man looked slightly older than Eyner and Pai, and was almost as tall as them, but more massive; he had a surly and slightly bored air to him, accentuated by the pale green fringe that brushed his night blue eyes. Unlike his companions, he did not wear any tails or braids in his short, layered hair, but instead he had a very well-groomed beard that went from his lip to his chin. The clothes he wore, long grey trousers stuffed into heavy boots, and a shirt with soft sleeves and a v-neck, gave him a rather vicious look, which combined with his gloomy stare, made the girls step back a little.

Sitting on one of the chairs, finally, was a fairly aged and skinny man, his back curved. He wore clothes that even for the earthlings, unaware of the aliens’ customs, were more refined than others they had seen: a heavy white greatcoat bordered with bronze thread was covering a long ivory shirt and breeches of the same hue, which ended in tall bronze shoes. His thinning salt and pepper hair was crossed by a tuft, held tight by a pale yellow lace, which passed over one ear and then behind the nape of the neck, to the opposite side of the head; on his face, tucked behind knobby hands, were two clear olive green eyes, slightly covered by bushy eyebrows.

“Welcome, my dear ladies,” the man said; his voice was low due to age, but his words were clear and loud, “I am very pleased to know you. Forgive me for this welcome so… discreet, but around here the atmosphere is not the best, and I wanted to talk to you calmly.”

With much difficulty, he pulled to his feet and gave them a slight bow that was awkwardly and anxiously reciprocated.

“My name is Teruga,” he continued, “I am the Senior Councilman to the Major Council.”

He looked at them and a smile appeared on his wrinkled face:

“If you are here, can I hope that you have agreed to help us?”

Purin was already about to say yes, but Zakuro stopped her and answered gracefully:

“First we would like to better understand what is going on. You see,” she beckoned behind her to the four boys who had escorted them, “They were not generous with the details.”

“Little girl.”

The light-haired man had spoken. His voice was deep and hoarse, and he seemed quite annoyed:

“Be careful of what you say.”

She looked at him without answering. Eyner unconsciously stepped forward, putting himself between the two:

“Sando, she was just asking, I don't think…”

“That's right. I was just asking,” the brunette retorted coldly, “And I think we'd have the right to have clearer ideas. After all, that’s what Kisshu and the others have said: they could not give us more details, because you would have.”

She turned to Eyner and the boy felt very uncomfortable, feeling that Zakuro was angry at him.

_I should’ve minded my own business and let them mangle each other._

“Yes, that's right.”

Pai intervened quietly. The Councilman smiled cat-like, those human girls were very amusing:

“You're right. Sit down, dear, we will explain everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, you can follow me also here ❤  
> https://ria-shuiryu.tumblr.com/  
> https://www.instagram.com/ria_efp/


	3. Waiting on the middle of the crossing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was that thing humans read? The horoscope? His sign’s was certainly very negative.

“So, the generals told you what happened, right?” 

Teruga's voice resumed after a quick recap. Ichigo, her mouth ajar since she had heard the word _generals_ to describe their companions, nodded:

“Y -yes. And of the problems after they left Earth and how the crystal broke and scattered…”

“But they didn't tell us exactly _who_ wanted to take it,” Minto interjected, “Why is it your duty to tell us?”

The Councilman took a deep breath and sat down:

“For our world, the arrival of these individuals is not only a risk to our existence, but also, I regret to say, a problem of a political nature that affects us very deeply, undermining our social serenity.”

He glanced at MoiMoi and she nodded. She went to the center of the room and left a thin, magnetic card-like object suspended in mid-air. The object floated for a few moments and MoiMoi barely brushed it with her index finger: four figures were projected in the air by the little card in four distinct holograms, which made the Earthlings cry out in shock.

“It can't be…!”

Ichigo went slowly up to the pictures, her chocolate eyes trembling, and reached out her hand:

“ Ao No Kishi…?”

She retracted her hand quickly.

No, it wasn't Ao No Kishi. The images showed four blond-haired, blue-eyed aliens, but none of them were the mewneko’s savior, even though they looked enormously like him.

“You’re not completely wrong,” MoiMoi smiled at her, “But perhaps it's better to explain from the beginning.”

“Do you know why Masaya Aoyama turned into Ao No Kishi?”

Pai asked the redhead. She just shook her head, dazed.

“Well… Because Aoyama-kun wanted to protect Ichigo,” Retasu said, “And he subconsciously used the power of Ao No Kishi, that is, Deep Blue…”

Pai nodded and summed up:

“Because they shared the same body. And do you know why?”

They could not answer; after a few seconds of silence, MoiMoi intervened:

“Because they shared a very similar DNA.”

She pointed to herself, bringing her hands to her chest:

“My people and you people from Earth are not so different after all, are we? From our appearance, up to our internal structure. In addition, we were born on the same planet, although in different eras, so our genetic code is extremely similar. We know that Deep Blue's strength was very similar to the energy that emanates from the Mew Aqua, an energy in the pure meaning of the word. That's why his body reacted so much to the crystal.”

“But what does it have to do with Aoyama onii-chan?”

“Deep Blue was an incorporeal entity,” Pai said, “And he gradually took over the foreign body that possessed a more similar DNA to that of its original body.”

“Are you saying that Aoyama is more like an alien than a human being?”

Zakuro asked skeptically.

“He never looked _very human_ to me.”

Kisshu commented sourly.

“No, your friend is completely human,” MoiMoi smiled, “But his genetic code is extremely close to ours, more than that of other earthlings, for example yours. In his case, things then took a particular turn due to the presence of Deep Blue, but unfortunately it was not an isolated event.”

“What do you mean?”

“These guys," she pointed at the four Ao No Kishi lookalikes, “Who now call themselves the Four Ancestrals, were once ordinary individuals, with the only peculiarity (which, of course, we only discovered _fait accompli_ ) that they had DNA very, very similar to that of Deep Blue. When Kisshu-chan and the others brought the Mew Aqua here, they began to undergo changes: the irradiation of the crystal had a sort of secondary effect on them and awakened those hereditary characters that belonged to our former ruler. Like your friend on Earth.”

“But that’s absurd!”

Minto exclaimed, but MoiMoi shook her head, distressed:

“Unfortunately, this is how things are, although some dynamics are still unclear.”

“Just like Ao No Kishi, though, they're incomplete,” Pai concluded, "Unlike him, however, they are fully aware of who they are and what they are doing, but they have not yet acquired all their strength.”

“You mean… Like Deep Blue?”

The mewporpoise trembled from head to toe as he nodded.

“That's why they wanted crystal,” Eyner added, “And even in this moment they're looking for it.”

A tense silence fell over the room while the girls exchanged very worried glances. Councilman Teruga coughed and went on:

“Do you understand now what we mean by a political motive? These so-called Four Ancestrals are a possible reincarnation of Deep Blue: they are therefore not only very dangerous, but they are also an encouragement for all those who would still like to definitively conquer Earth. For some, they are the symbol of our supposed predominance over mankind, for others that of a tyrant who does not want to stop tormenting our lives. 

“And, of course, if these Ancestrals are so belligerent, they will not bargain for a peaceful solution.”

Zakuro resolved gravely, recalling Eyner's words at the Café. Teruga nodded slightly; MoiMoi grabbed the card and the holograms disappeared, so she resumed:

“At the end of the day, ladies, we are faced with these common problems. There are passages that connect our world ad yours, and many, many others, and they are unstable and dangerous; there are also four dangerous and powerful warriors, willing to do anything to get the Mew Aqua dispersed among the bridges it created; these individuals also think that by obtaining the Mew Aqua they will become a kind of reincarnation of Deep Blue and once that happens, firstly, they would try to conquer Earth. The solution is to track down the fragments of Mew Aqua before them, but we aren’t able to do so, while you are.”

Teruga sent the five girls a piercing gaze and said softly:

“S o, I ask you officially: would you cooperate with us, until we have found every fragment of the crystal?”

Ichigo stiffened at the question, feeling the pressure of being the leader as she hadn’t for a long time. Exactly as before they left, she was tormented by doubt, whether to accept out of duty or whether to refuse to, for once, be able to decide for herself.

Needless to say, it  was Purin who immediately jumped forward with a big smile:

“I've already said it and I haven't changed my mind. I'm going to help you!”

“Purin… it could be dangerous!”

Minto tried to hold her back, but the blonde was adamant:

“Taru-Taru is here, I am not in any danger!”

“Why do you always involve me?”

The little boy muttered through clenched teeth, blushing slightly; Purin continued calmly:

“Anyway, I think I might be enough to look for the crystal, right?”

She looked at Pai and MoiMoi, who exchanged indecipherable glances.

“Yes… I don't think it would make any difference. Pai-chan and I have proven that you should react better, since the Mew Aqua is in its liquid form, but with only one of you, it would take a long time…”

“There's no way you're doing this alone!”

Retasu agitatedly said. Purin sulked and looked at her:

“Well, I'm going to help them anyway. What will you do?”

Her friends did not respond again. Zakuro rubbed her neck and sighed:

“I know we have little time and you need an answer right away, but can we think about it a little bit? We’ll just go for a walk and come back.”

“Yes! Great idea!”

Purin rushed up to the chair where Teruga sat, oblivious to Sando's scowl, raising her arm and going on tiptoes asked, excited:

“Sir Teruga, sir! Can we snoop around here?”

Everyone in the room stared at her as if she had gone mad.

“ Zakuro nee-san is right, we need a walk! And your city seems so beautiful, can we peek around?!”

Taruto grimaced when he saw her happy face, it was evident that she only wanted to be able to explore the city, but Teruga merely smiled benevolently:

“Of course. A walk will clear your head. I just ask you not to be alone and to try not to attract too much attention…”

He could not finish the sentence that Purin had already run upstairs, with Taruto chasing her and protesting endlessly; immediately, the rest of the MewMew and the boys returned upstairs, leaving in the room only those they had found.

“And where are you going?”

Sando's deep voice stopped MoiMoi, who was now at the foot of the stairs:

“I'm curious,” she said, "I want to see what they're up to."

And she disappeared with a hop, snatching a resigned sigh from the man and a low laugh from Teruga.

“…Are you sure it's okay, them walking down the streets?”

Sando asked after a few minutes of silence. Teruga got more comfortable on the chair and sighed:

“ The generals will have already shielded them, so that they are not recognizable. Moreover…” he seemed to ponder whether to speak or not, rubbing his lean hands, “If they saw… maybe they’d be more easily persuaded.”

Sando did not answer.

“I know ours it's a burdensome request, but I assure you I wouldn't ask, if we had another solution.”

"I know, sir."

***

Purin was over the moon, even unable to blink so much the sight of the city excited her. Enthusiastic, she stretched up as much as she could, protecting her eyes from the sun, and looked at the life that extended beyond the slight ridge where she had stopped, a step away from the main door.

She was already sprinting to run into the crowd when someone grabbed her by her collar, and she tumbled backwards.

“Damn, can you stop for a second?"

“ _Ouch…_ Taru-Taru! " she complained, "You hurt me!"

“Do you want to trigger a surge of panic, you moron?!” he kept scolding her, “Where do you think you're going, looking all human like that?”

He propped her up quickly and touched her shoulder slightly; Purin had the feeling that something warm was sliding on her for a few seconds and then, as if by enchantment, two tiny balls of light appeared around her left wrist, barely visible, rotating lazily one after the other.

“ Wow, that's so cool! What are they?!”

“I have just shielded you.”

“What?"

“Do you listen to people when they speak?!” he blurted out, “We told you that there are still some who would like to conquer Earth, and you thought you could walk peacefully?!”

He sighed annoyed as the others reached them, sometimes Purin was exasperating.

"Thanks to the screen, they will not see you; you're going to go unnoticed like you're nothing more than one of us, and if someone spoke to you, they'd only see a little girl of my people,” he pointed to the small spheres on her wrist, “Those are just an indicator: if they vanish, for whatever reason, you hide. Is that clear?!”

She nodded convincingly as she continued to smile, which did not reassure Taruto for a single second:

"I'm going to have to breath down your neck to make sure you don't get in trouble, knowing you…”

“Yeah, as if that bothers you, right?”

"Kisshu, go to hell!"

The boy glared at his half-brother with a murderous look, but he had to immediately go back to ignoring him because, prompted by the _‘they can't see me!’_ – a sentence that she shouted loudly – Purin had already launched herself into the city without waiting for the rest of that little group.

“It's not like you're invisible!” Taruto yelled after her, “Damn it…! Wait for me, you little monkey!”

He ran after her followed by a worried Retasu and then by the other girls, who didn't seem equally eager to get lost in a crowd of aliens.

“ Purin, for Heaven’s sake!” Minto shouted “Stop!”

Empty words.

They reached the open space right after the door and found themselves in the cheerful confusion of a city that was resuming to live, in the chatter and the hustle and bustle of calls of sellers, hurried steps, laughter and discussions. Eyner didn't look so happy, and neither did Pai and Kisshu.

“It's too crowded here.” the brunette said softly, “We risk getting split up.”

The other two nodded.

"Yes, maybe it's better to go somewhere else."

Kisshu agreed; after all, with that crowd he couldn't find a moment of quiet with his kitten as he had been planning for at least ten minutes.

"Come on, let's get them out of here…”

They heard an amused cry and saw Purin being literally swallowed up by a group of people. Taruto lunged behind her, worried and furious, but when he too disappeared Retasu tried to reach them, almost ending up being crushed by the crowd.

The confusion was such that she could no longer understand where she was nor hear her friends’ voices, but she did not have enough strength to oppose that river of people. Suddenly, she felt someone lightly grab her arm and pull her towards them, and in a second, she was out of the crowd, still in the midst of chaos, but with enough room to breathe.

“Are you in one piece?”

She drew her arm back as if she had scalded it and tried a clumsy smile, praying for the fourth time in less than a day that she had not stared bewildered at him:

“Yes, one piece… Thank you Pai-san.”

He shrugged, he was so tall that spotting the green girl in that chaos and pulling her out had been very simple.

Retasu continued to torture her fingers, relaxing only when she saw Taruto and Purin – he, stunned after emerging from the mishmash, holding the girl firmly by one arm – a short distance from them. Pai, on the other hand, did not seem pleased, looking around frowning.

Eyner could certainly be prophetic.

"Where did the others go?"

***

It wasn't possible…

It wasn't true!

Fate couldn't have been mad at her like that!

She looked around desperately, she didn't even understand where they had ended up, it looked like an area with small houses, but it could also have been a cemetery, as far as she was concerned.

She continued to twirl around looking for familiar faces, but the only one she spotted was that of the golden-eyed alien behind her, who looked at her insistently: 

“Why the hell am I alone with you?”

“ That's what I should say, Kisshu!”

Minto shrieked. 

“I wanted to be alone, yes, but with my kitten!” he said unperturbed, and pointed at her, "Why should I be alone with you?!”

“You should have thought of that before you grabbed me, no?!”

“Listen to yourself!” he  blurted, offended, “You're so short that the crowd was going to crush you, you should just thank me for pulling you out of there!”

She stiffened, hit where it hurts. Indeed, for once Kisshu had done nothing wrong, if it hadn’t been for him who knows where she would have ended up; but she would never give in to the boy and so, haughty, she headed off without even looking at him:

“ Well, if that's the case… Thank you very much and get lost,” she exhaled with an aggressive smile, “Go to Ichigo or whoever it is you want!”

He snorted furiously:

“ And where are you going?”

“I’m taking a walk!”

And she disappeared around a corner. Kisshu put his hands in his hair, the little brunette wanted to drive him crazy.

He was seriously tempted to leave her alone, but if he did, he would find himself with a long list of people – Pai, Ichigo and Zakuro in the lead – ready to skin him alive for having abandoned her.

He sighed loudly and followed her, praying that he would at least be able to find Ichigo soon and that his plans would not all go to hell.

***

Eyner became convinced that that day was born under an unlucky star.

What was that thing humans read? The horoscope? His sign’s was certainly very negative.

Why else would he be alone with Zakuro otherwise?

The atmosphere between them had not started as one of the best, given the discomfort on his part for the gaffe he had made at the Café, and the mutism of the brunette crowned everything with a mood so frosty that was sending negative vibrations.

The last time Zakuro had spoken had been about ten minutes earlier, when she and Eyner had been pushed by the crowd into the neighborhood bordering the market. After noticing that none of the others were in the area, the mewwolf had only ruled that she still needed to walk a little and reflect on Teruga's proposal; then, absolute silence.

Zakuro walked fast and looked around, seemingly without sparing a glance to her chaperone; around them there was only the stillness of a suburban neighborhood, with houses with small inner courtyards and distant voices, and the two strolled quietly one next to the other.

_ Not that… I'm too sorry about that. _ _ _

Eyner shook his head, telling himself he was a fool.

He breathed deeply, feeling immensely tired, and sent a little curse to Kisshu's big mouth.

There was no need to admit it further, Zakuro was exactly his type: the long, dark hair, the adult vibe, a beautiful body; but there was a big difference between an aesthetic taste and the absurdities his friend insinuated. Besides, how could it be? To start liking someone, looks were not enough and that girl was more armored than a safe: she barely spoke, how could you understand anything about her?

It was better to let it go altogether.

At one point he saw Zakuro slow down and stop, intrigued by something; he turned around as well and spotted a small group of children running to him with an over-excited air. The model heard him mumble with a half-smile:

“Man, I didn't realize we'd come this far…”

Zakuro watched surprised as he was surrounded by the small cheeping army, in which small pale arms stretched to make room and bring their owner closer to Eyner.

"Eyner!"

“You're back! Where were you?!”

“You went beyond the white circle, didn’t you?”

“What was on the other side? Mom says there's a planet full of monsters!”

“She just says that to scare you!” the patronizing voice of a boy piped up, “Actually, the Earth is there.”

Protesting voices. 

"And what do you know?"

“I'm older! I am _told_ these things!”

“Ah, stop it!”

Eyner tried in vain to calm them, it wasn’t the moment to look after them:

"Guys, look, I don't have time now, I'm with someone…”

The children groaned disappointed and all turned simultaneously towards Zakuro, looking at her sternly; she, to Eyner's immense astonishment, was looking at the children with a sweet and amused face and, in a theatrical way, bowed her head saying:

"Yes, I am the culprit."

"Miss!" a little girl with two big braids on the sides of her head whimpered, “Can't you stay for a while?”

The other children joined the choir. Zakuro continued to smile and exchanged a glance with the boy:

"Look, if you give them your finger, they even take necks, not just hands."

She released an amused puff and shrugged:

"Just a little break."

***

“Girls! Hey, is anyone here?!”

No answer. Ichigo, on the verge of panicking, looked at the indifferent faces of the people walking around her, unable to see any of her friends.

How was it that she was alone?!

She did not know what to do, she had lost sight of the entrance they had crossed and couldn’t even go back, but wandering around alone felt like a crazy idea, even more so that she had been explicitly asked not to do that.

_ What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?! _

“Hey…”

The redhead was so frightened by that knock on her shoulder that she felt her feline features sprout out; instinctively, she covered her ears and turned around, pale and with glossy eyes, then she relaxed into a sigh of relief:

“ You are… MoiMoi!”

“Hello,” she smiled, “Sorry, did I scare you a lot?”

Her amber eyes peeked at the black tail that wagged behind the redhead, and Ichigo immediately hid it:

“No… I'm sorry, I found myself alone and…”

MoiMoi smiled sympathetically.

“Be careful to stay in control, though,” she whispered, “Your powers, even manifesting as cat features, disrupt the shield.”

Ichigo nodded, noticing only then that the two spheres symbolizing her screen, which rotated on her wrist, were trembling slightly, quietening when the cat's tail and ears disappeared.

“What happened to you guys?” MoiMoi asked, “I too wanted to have fun on a little walk, but you all disappeared.”

“We were overwhelmed by a sea of people,” Ichigo muttered, weeping, “And that’s why I don't know where the others are, _meeeow_ …”

MoiMoi chuckled:

“I get it. Don’t worry, I'm sure your friends are in good hands,” she winked, “If you’d like, I could be your (how is it that you say on Earth…? Oh, yes!) tour guide, and show you a few things around here. So you can relax and then… Think carefully.”

Ichigo looked at her for a moment and then nodded convincedly: indeed, she needed to distract herself a little, she was too nervous to properly think about Teruga's proposal; MoiMoi, moreover, seemed like a great company.

“C’mon then! Let's go, let's go!”

Laughing, she took the redhead’s arm and pulled her along:

"It's going to be fun!"

***

“Purin, please, hold on for a second!”

The blonde laughed and, ignoring Taruto's protests, quickly rushed to another stall to admire foods she had never seen and the items for sale, without taking a break.

It was all so... Strange! So beautiful and unusual! The fruit so colorful...!

For the fifth time since she had arrived there, she felt two arms grab her by the shoulders and block her forcefully:

“Do you understand the word ‘discretion’?!” Taruto hissed in her ear, “If you keep making all this noise, you’ll just attract attention!”

"But I'm just having fun!"

She replied disappointed. Taruto sighed short-breathed, his face red from the run, he felt more exhausted than he had had for a while:

“Couldn't you have fun without making such a mess? Couldn't you at least behave like Retasu?”

He pointed to the mewporpoise a few stands behind them: she too had abandoned herself in that whole new world, so much so that Pai had to keep an eye on her so that she wouldn’t get lost, but at least her presence went unnoticed.

“If we get caught and all hell raises, then who will have to deal with Pai and the others?”

Purin crossed her arms behind her back and looked at him disappointed. Taruto snorted again, wondering if they really were the same age:

“Look, I didn't say you have to stand still…”

The blonde instantly recovered, smiled and grabbed his wrist, dragging him to a little stall that seemed to sell food. On the seller's desk there was a short, sizzling pot where lumpy, fragrant little balls were floating. Children were packing all around the table, but even the adults seemed to line up willingly.

“What is it?"

Purin asked, basically drooling.

“ It's called _mimeri_ … It's like a pancake,” he explained quickly; at her expression, it came naturally to him to smile, “Do you want to try it?”

"Can I?"

"You’ll get only one.”

He said with a smartass smile; he stretched over the group of people, exchanged a few words with the vendor in a language Purin did not understand and then came back, with a pancake in each hand. He grinned pleased:

“One each.” 

Purin stole one impatiently and bit it greedily, all happy: the little ball had a spongy, fluffy texture and was salty, combined with a sweet note due perhaps to some seasoning.

“It's so good!” she sang, finishing the pancake in one bite, “Good, good, good! I want more!”

“You have to pay for them if you want more,” he pointed out, eating the rest of his with an unsatisfied grimace “And anyway, they’re not that great…”

"They're very good!"

Purin replied with a smile. Taruto licked his finger and shrugged:

"My mother’s  _ mimeri _ are much better."

Purin stood in front of him with an expression of happy surprise and yelled in his ears:

“You have a mom?!?”

“Just like anybody else?” he replied sarcastically, "I've got a father as well, as a matter of fact.”

"Seriously?"

“Why are you so surprised?! What, were you born under a cabbage leaf?!”

“Nooo, you fool!” she smiled, “You know… It's just that I don't have a mom anymore, so to me it’s great that you have yours!”

Taruto froze, his voice dying out:

“What…?”

“My mom's gone,” Purin explained calmly, “A long time ago now.”

Taruto didn’t answer and kept staring at her, saddened: he felt like a complete idiot.

He had done nothing but scold Purin since he had seen her again, when instead he should have shown her how much he had missed her… And then that cherry on top.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, “I didn't know.”

She shook her head, not losing her smile, and grabbed both of his hands, rushing backwards:

“You’ll introduce me later, okay? Now I want to explore again! Come on!”

The boy let her drag him and sighed, it was obvious that Purin considered the matter over and just wanted him to do the same.

"Okay, okay," he laughed, "but let go of my hand!"

"Look, you should speed up, or we’re going to lose them."

Retasu jumped at that sentence and unwillingly looked away from the stall full of colorful fabrics in which she had been lost for five good minutes.

“W-what?”

Stupid question.

Pai barely nodded his head toward Taruto and Purin disappearing on the horizon and looked at her inexpressively; Retasu violently forced herself not to blush, perhaps it was normal for Pai to stare at people in that persistent way, but it just made her want to hide.

"I said we have to hurry, or we lose them."

He repeated flat. She nodded, agitated, and trotted fast behind the boy standing close by him, although she found it difficult. He was too quick, he knew how to move in that crowd while she didn't, plus she was clumsy and kept stumbling, pushed by that or that guy: every two steps she was forced to move back or to the side, and in the meantime Pai kept going ahead…

_ What if he leaves me here?! _ _ _

She closed her eyes and, murmuring a rapid series of _excuse me’s,_ she pushed her way through, but, as expected, crashed into someone who had stopped and who she, of course, had not seen.

"Oh my,” she mumbled, rubbing her bruised nose, “I'm sorry, excuse – “

“You should stop this ‘throwing myself with my eyes closed’ technique.”

“P-Pai-san!"

Her effort not to blush was futile, but, luckily, she had the excuse of having to hold her hands on her reddened nose, and could hide the rest of her face without too much trouble.

Was there a cosmic coincidence that made her keep making gaffes in front of him?

“I didn't realize I'd caught up with you…”

The corner of Pai's mouth hinted just upwards, and his eyebrow flicked. Retasu slowly lowered her hands at his almost amused expression: it wasn’t that she had caught up, but that he was waiting for her?

"Did you think I'd leave you here?"

She bowed her head, caught red-handed.

“I'm going to go slower. You're slow, you risk falling behind.”

Retasu grimaced offended:

“It’s n-not very nice, what you said…”

He didn’t say anything else and headed off, this time more slowly, and Retasu followed him obediently, sighing.

They went on for a while in silence, she on the one hand still distracted by the lively atmosphere that surrounded them and on the other hand keeping an eye on Purin, careful not to let her escape from their range.

They both saw the mewmonkey fidgeting particularly in front of a stall and being dragged away by a purple Taruto, and Retasu laughed:

"She seems to be having a lot of fun."

“... She didn't grow up at all.”

Was his flat comment.

“Is she not to be admired?” Retasu said softly, "In every situation, she can find a reason to be positive and cheerful, I find it wonderful!”

Pai did not answer her, but Retasu thought she saw another faint smile.

She bowed her head uneasily, hushing again.

Perhaps because they were no longer opponents, but she had the impression that Pai was smiling – if those could be called smiles – a little too often and she did not like it.

That smile… It made her nervous.

“ What's going on?"

She stopped at once when she realized she had passed him: she saw him immobile staring at their two younger companions who were turning in a side street, and he frowned.

"Are they going somewhere dangerous?"

She asked worriedly. He did not change his expression, but resumed following them:

“No. Not quite.”

***

Minto strolled along the clay bank of a small clear river, around which rose gently meadows full of flowers of all colors and similar in appearance to certain exotic plant she knew; she crouched down to better look at some of them, like those that reminded her of hibiscus, even though the flowers were very small and of a pale purple.

It would have been a beautiful, relaxing stroll, hadn't she had great responsibilities on which to ponder and had she not found herself on an alien planet.

“Can you tell me where you're going?"

And hadn't she had Kisshu following her like a bloodhound.

“ Wherever I want,” she declared, "And why are you following me?"

"Because if I leave you alone and something happens to you, Senpai Sando will talk my ass off."

"Well, it's none my business!"

“Oh, you can bet it is, Madam Grumble!"

“ Are you done with your stupid nicknames?"

"And are you done bashing every syllable I say?"

Minto suddenly hushed, while Kisshu planted his hands on his hips:

“Look, I get it, you don't like me. And (believe me!) I'd rather be with someone else, too…”

“Yes, I know that very well, with Ichigo,” she looked at him the way one looks at a fool, “That’s one lost battle!”

He replied with a cunning grin:

"I'm not so sure about that."

Minto seemed surprised by that statement; she sighed deeply:

"Did you notice?"

It was Kisshu’s turn to be surprised.

"She's been weird for a while," she said, shrugging, "and I think you know what I'm talking about, judging by that lecherous expression.”

"Hey!"

He was about to tell her to go to hell, when he saw her looking again intently at the meadow to her right; a laugh escaped him:

"I don't believe it… Are you worried?”

She looked at him, hit where it hurts:

“ Absolutely not,” she lied, “Ichigo's moody torments are not my responsibility.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Minto insisted on ignoring him and resumed walking more slowly, her cheeks just reddened.

"So, you worry about your friends too."

“It seems obvious to me,” she somberly mumbled, “Apparently I'm more profound than you thought, aren't I?”

“Yeah. You can even sustain a dialogue longer than twenty words with yours truly without insulting me… Or almost.”

She stared at him, who was smiling sardonically; she was forced to cash it in silence as he giggled:

“In terms of social relations, with you we are at zero… But as a friend, you're not so bad.”

She studied him from below her eyelashes to make sure he wasn't teasing her and sighed:

"Thank you,” she turned her head so he wouldn't see her, “I’m sorry, maybe I overreacted.”

“Ah, really?"

“Don't start again.”

She heard him giggle and let the matter go. After a while, she felt that the silence had become heavy and sought any topic to break it:

“You know… this place is just beautiful.”

"So many compliments! Are you okay?”

She snorted, annoyed:

“ Forget it…”

"I was joking, I was joking."

It was really fun to irk her; it was so easy for him!

"It took us a while to make it like this, ice can be stubborn. Let's hope it lasts long enough until the Mew Aqua returns…”

“Why? What do you mean?”

He scratched his cheek thinking whether to answer:

"There's a little problem…”

“Can I know?” she said with more energy, "I'd like to help you, so I think I can know, right?”

“You wanna help us?”

She perfectly held his surprised gaze:

"Yes. Why, wasn't that what you wanted? Why do you have to look at me like that?”

“When we arrived, you took up the cudgels because you didn't want to do it…! You're very weird, you know that?”

“You’ve annoyed me with your cheap irony!”

She blurted and turned on her heels to head back, but she didn't take into account the slippery riverbank.

She let out a chocked scream and was already prepared for the off-plan dive when she felt a steady grip on her waist and felt herself being pulled back onto the safe path.

“ _Phew…!_ By a hair!” Kisshu laughed slightly, “Everything ok?”

Curiously, Minto did not answer him, but she kept clinging with one hand onto his arm, trembling, breathing fast and pale in the face.

"Yes... I'm fine,” she was lying shamelessly, but she could not show it, her pride did not allow her, “Thank you.”

She motioned to let her go , but instead of feeling him move away, his chest pressed more clearly against her back.

“Ah, how about that!”, he sneered mischievously, tightening the hold of his arm, “You're petite, but your body is not bad!” 

He barely dodged the elbow with which Minto tried to hit him in the solar plexus:

“ _STUPID MANIAC HANDSY IMBECIL!”_

He let her go laughing, before she dragged him in a violent fight, and watched her walk away, stomping her feet and red with anger:

“ If I help you, you will have to keep a minimum distance of ten meters from me! Do you understand me?”

“Got it, got it…. My, my, no one can take a joke here!” 

***

Zakuro lazily bobbed her head, resting on her hand, without taking her eyes off Eyner and the flock of children still around him, hammering him to reveal what he had done during the days they had not seen him.

At first, Eyner's report had been quite reliable, but realizing that the children did not seem to appreciate it, he had changed its tone by telling of such daring and implausible feats, which the public seemed to appreciate.

“ Well, I’ve told you enough,” he finally managed to say after about twenty minutes, “I could end up in front of the Major Council for what I have revealed, or maybe directly in prison!”

He lied so well that the children were hanging from his lips, nodding with conspiratorial tones and eyes shiny of excitement; Zakuro found herself restraining from laughing.

“ Eyner, Eyner!"

The little girl with the braids who had insisted that they stayed grabbed his sleeve and pulled it repeatedly:

“Can you do your magic trick first? _Pleeeeeeeease!_ ”

The other children also joined the choir of please. Eyner sighed, it seemed to be a big effort for him not to indulge them:

“Come on, now I gotta go…” 

“ What magic trick?"

She turned and saw that Zakuro had come close, perhaps curios, though it was impossible to understand from her inexpressive face.

"The young lady doesn't know it either! Come on Eyner!” the little girl insisted, she was practically undressing him so much she was clinging to his shirt, “Please!”

The brunette sighed for the umpteenth time:

“All right... Just once.”

Under the trepidatious gaze of the children, he held his palms in mid-air, facing each other, at a certain distance: Zakuro saw a tiny golden spark and then, out of nowhere, a little bird appeared. It looked alive as it flapped his little wings and tail, but its body was entirely made of swirling flames. Eyner moved his index fingers and thumbs and the little thing fluttered briefly in the empty space between his hands, then did a somersault in the air, shrunk to a tongue of fire and enlarged again, this time with the appearance of a butterfly; it flew again, twirled again shrinking and became a snake, slipping into thin air as if on solid rock; another twist and it became a frog, another and it was a sparkling little fish, which with a last dash down became a tiny flame and died, as it had appeared.

The children erupted into cries of happiness, which Eyner took advantage of to sneak off and, nodding goodbye, pushed Zakuro away before getting caught by other demands.

“Uff, what a hassle…! I'm sorry, you got dragged into it.”

She denied:

"It was fun."

Eyner wondered if she was lying or telling the truth, but it was useless to try to understand it; it was like talking to a sphinx.

“The trick was cute.”

“Really just a trick,” he sighed with a little disappointment, “When I fight, I am not able to do such elaborate things, I can only do the _mini_ version.”

“ Do you use fire to fight? I thought you all used lightning bolts.”

Eyn was surprised by such a question, but after all, she had fought Kisshu, Pai and Taruto for almost a whole year, it wasn't so strange that she had noticed that detail; and then, anything was better than silence:

“Not necessarily… It's a matter of predisposition. Then there are those who learn to master different ones,” he tapped his index on his chin, thoughtful, “From what I remember, Pai masters wind, lightning, water and ice. Sando senpai, on the other hand, is a master of plants.”

“Sando… That very pleasant gorilla we met earlier?”

Eyner laughed up his sleeve:

“Yes, but don’t worry, it's usually not so stiff. He's also irascible and grumpy.”

“Wonderful…”

Zakuro had not laughed, but Eyn had managed to snatch a mocking smile from her.

“Those children... Did you know them all?”

“My house is in the area,” he said offhanded, "They all live around here… They stick to me all the time.”

“You can see that they are fond of you. It must be a hassle.” 

“So and so. I have a little sister about their age, I got used to it pretty quickly.”

“You have a sister?"

“She’s seven years old. Sixteen-year difference. Since we are alone, me and her, I act as brother and a bit of everything, depending on the occasion.”

He concluded with irony; Zakuro did not answer, maintaining her usual expression.

"Sorry, I'm talking about unimportant things."

She shook her head firmly:

"It's beautiful."

Another slight smile escaped her, and Eyner felt his stomach somersaulting. 

_ Ouch, ouch… _

It was better to change the subject.

"Listen... So, what have you decided to do?”

She did not answer, fixing her hair behind her ear, and then stared at him earnestly:

"You told us everything, didn't you?"

It was a simple question, not an accusation; Eyner was about to say yes, when he remembered something that none of them had mentioned yet. 

“Maybe there's something you should see.”

***

That day was really on the verge of becoming absurd.

It had started in quite a normal way, with school and the rest… Then the portal, the aliens, a new mission to ‘save the universe’…

And now she was alien shopping.

MoiMoi kept dragging her around the market, without even giving her time to focus on the thought ‘Hey! You're shopping with an alien girl on another planet!’

“I'm so happy to have some fun…! At the lab, there are always only the boys, how boring! Ah, look!”

She dragged the redhead to a stand that sold – as far as Ichigo could understand – clothes and accessories, and she reached out to grab two ribbons of a beautiful bright pink:

"These would look great on you!" she put them close to Ichigo’s hair and smiled delightedly, "Ah, I knew it! Come on Ichigo-chan, get them!”

The redhead looked at the ribbons a little disoriented, MoiMoi was nice, but a little frantic; but those ribbons were really the end of the world…

"I’d like to," she murmured uneasily, "but I can't... I don't have...”

She was ashamed to say ‘I have no money’, even though the only reason was that she did not even belong to that planet. MoiMoi winked at her:

"Don't worry, if you like them, I'll take care of it!"

“What? Oh, no! I couldn't...!”

She couldn’t finish the sentence that MoiMoi had already paid and was arbitrarily putting them on her, chirping happily at the work accomplished:

"They look great on you! You're so cute, Ichigo-chan!”

She smiled. She noticed that MoiMoi had styled her tails like her compatriots’ custom, and her smile widened:

“ Not bad. They’re a variant.” 

MoiMoi seemed satisfied and still laughing, carried on with her tour.

It was fun to chat with the alien, with her Ichigo felt much more comfortable than with the others, and she felt like asking her a lot of questions, most of them silly curiosities. 

"I was amazed earlier when the Councilman called Kisshu and the others ‘generals’”.

“Councilman Teruga does it as a joke,” MoiMoi replied, with an embarrassed air, “In reality, Pai-chan and Sando are colonels; Kisshu-chan, Eyner-chan, and I are captains and Taruto-chan is a lieutenant.” 

“B-but they're all ranks of army officers!"

"Well, we are, aren’t we?”

Ichigo was astonished:

"But aren’t you… I mean... Pretty young?!”

That last statement seemed to really please MoiMoi, who gloated:

"We probably join the army only a little earlier than you Earthlings…! Although indeed Taruto-chan is very young…”

"I don't think that's the problem."

But MoiMoi was already gone, distracted by another store.

"Listen… That tank that was with you and the Councilman…” 

MoiMoi chuckled:

“Are you talking about Sando?"

Ichigo nodded, and MoiMoi laughed louder:

"He’s scary, huh?"

"I don't know," replied the unconvinced redhead, "It’s that… He seems like a Pai kinda of guy, just bigger and meaner.”

As MoiMoi stared at her, Ichigo feared she had said something offensive, but changed her mind immediately when she saw her companion hysterically laughing:

“Oh no...! Absolutely not!” she wiped off a tear, trying to compose herself, "He was trying to make an impression because he was there as Teruga's bodyguard, but...”

More laughter, so strong that she was holding her stomach:

"Don't worry, he’s not like Pai-chan at all!"

Ichigo had become curious, but she feared that her guide would die of her own laughter and changed her question:

“And... Yes, Sando-san, what exactly does he do?”

“All the jobs where it's good to have someone massive and menacing-looking behind you,” MoiMoi chuckled again, “But usually he is the bulldog of the research center.”

Ichigo felt that that last part had been said with great tenderness, even if she did not understand the reason.

“ So he guards me and Pai-chan.”

She concluded, sticking her tongue out.

"Do you work with Pai?"

"We are involved in research and development projects. We should cooperate, but it always turns out that I'm his assistant! Pai-chan is much better than me!”

"But what exactly do you do?"

"We are looking for new ways to make the planet grow, but above all a lot of boring analysis… Pai-chan had recently returned to analyzing the data he had collected on you on Earth, because of the Mew Aqua problem.”

Ichigo shuddered a little to that statement, the idea of being studied didn't appeal her too much.

“Useful information... And a lot of interesting data,” MoiMoi looked at her slyly “So? What did you and Kisshu get up to?”

“What?!” Ichigo’s ears almost sprouted out, “I-I don’t know what you saw, but I warn you, you’ve misunderstood everything!”

MoiMoi seemed disappointed:

“But how? Kisshu-chan was always talking about you…”

Ichigo felt her chest tightening at that remark:

“Really?”

MoiMoi nodded like a little girl, her index finger on her frowned lips:

“ What a pity... And to say that he's so cute! Don't you agree?”

Ichigo stiffened at the question:

“Cute?”

She had never really noticed.

But to think about it...

With that little devil’s demeanor and the amber eyes... And a great body…

She felt again her feline ears violently desiring to peek out.

“I-I’ve  never noticed.”

She stuttered. She desperately looked for a way to change the topic and glimpsed at her salvation, Retasu's green pigtails drifting around a corner:

“Ah! L-look, the others!” She took MoiMoi’s hand and ran away, “Let's catch up with them, quick!”

The redhead made her way through the people and popped into a side street, climbing towards what seemed like an increasingly bare countryside. After walking for a few minutes, however, without seeing Retasu, she felt a frosty shiver sliding down her neck; impulsively, she gripped MoiMoi's hand tighter and felt her reciprocate, as the alien stood before her and looked at her sadly:

"As we feared... You feel something's wrong, right?” the redhead nodded, “Do you want to see?”

Ichigo trembled visibly, but then nodded again. With kindness, MoiMoi accompanied her again for a few meters, going up a ridge of bare earth, and made her look down.

The four boys with the other MewMew were close by as well, and all  with the same horrified expression.

In that pleasant green landscape, a rectangle of eternal sleep opened, a grayish scar on perfect skin: for about a square kilometer there was not a single blade of grass, nor a tree, but only dusty and cold earth that would never again restore life; it had not been a fire, or a natural disaster, it was as if, simply, there the soil had died.

Ichigo had to turn her head, horrified: something, in the recesses of her genetic code, was screaming and weeping desperately at that sight.

"It happened as soon as the Mew Aqua was stolen," MoiMoi whispered gloomily, "It’s as if... Our planet had not been ready to have its life source removed, as if it were not yet self-sufficient. Before it was a frozen world, but under the snow it was alive. Now... It’s dying, for good. The issue is for now only this area, but…”

“It could increase,” Pai said, “It will increase... And it's going to be faster and faster.”

"It won't be permanent, will it?"

Retasu asked in a sob. MoiMoi lowered her head:

'We don't know. What’s certain is that, the more time passes, the more it is likely it will be.”

Ichigo sniffled loudly and clenched her fists.

No, she could withstand a hundred battles more, there would always be a reason to fight them. _That_ , that was the unfair thing.

A glance with the other girls was enough and she straightened her shoulders, her voice cracked:

“Tell Teruga that we accept.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like, you can follow me also here ❤  
> https://ria-shuiryu.tumblr.com/  
> https://www.instagram.com/ria_efp/


	4. Towards the crossing: First Road - Ichigo's dangerous heartbeats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, in another life Ichigo Momomiya must have committed unthinkable atrocities. She saw no other explanation for the tortures sent from above.

__  
They resurfaced from the portal once the sun was already setting. The five MewMew, tired and worried, walked away turning only to look at the aliens who stood on the threshold of the passage.

“ So, do we agree?” Eyner asked, "We will be back in a few days, when MoiMoi and Pai are done.”

The girls nodded and watched him disappear behind the white door, followed by his companions.

Ichigo stood for a moment staring at the iridescent surface, her friends walking away in silence, and sighed heavily studying the damp grass at her feet. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the boy coming back and popping up behind her:

"In the end, we couldn't get a minute alone, eh Ichigo?"

The redhead gasped, stifling a squeal:

“ Kisshu! Hey, you scared me!” 

He smiled mischievously and did not answer. Ichigo tried to sustain those eyes that caressed her, or to disdain them forcefully, at least to ignore them, but the more she tried to turn her head, the more she felt that Kisshu's golden irises attracted her gaze, forcing her to look at him.

The redhead snorted annoyed and snapped her neck so quickly towards the edge of the park that she feared she had broken it.

"I mean, could you lose this horrible vice?”

He sneered, slipped beside her and, suddenly approaching her, planted a kiss on her cheek, too close to her lips:

“You're my vice, kitten,” he whispered hoarse, “See ya.” 

"Stupid!"

She yelled to the air: he was already gone, but he had fully enjoyed the distraught and deliciously red face of his kitten, and for this he could considered himself satisfied.

Ichigo clenched her fists until she almost lost sensation to her fingers. She was so angry and embarrassed that she could only pray MoiMoi would take longer than she should, so that she would not be forced to meet Kisshu too soon.

_ “We know that a fragment is on Earth,” MoiMoi said, "I say we could start from there; don’t you think?” _ _ _

_ Everyone had given their assent. _ _ _

_ "For the moment I fear that I will have to delegate this task to you girls," she continued sadly, “In the meantime, Pai-chan and I will study a system that can contain the passage so that it is more stable, at least as long as we’ll need it. It's going to take a couple of days.” _ _ _

_ She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a curious hairy orange ball, which immediately reminded Ichigo of Masha. _ _ _

_ "I know, it's not exactly discreet," MoiMoi laughed, "But it's the only working prototype I have. Were there any updates, of any kind on your side or ours, we can use it to communicate; until we stabilize it, better to use the passage as little as possible. » _ _ _

_ She put the little ball in the hands of the mewneko and smiled, closing her fingers: _ _ _

_ "I hope you won’t have to use it, Ichigo-chan.” _ _ _

When they arrived at the Café, it wasn’t easy to tell everything to Ryou and Keiichiro, just like it wasn’t easy to even decide which way to start talking.

Slowly, passing the baton when one did not remember details, the girls explained everything: the passages, the Mew Aqua, the group of the Four Ancestrals, the dying planet. The two young men listened in silence with grave faces, and when it was time for the girls to admit that they accepted the proposal of Kisshu and the others, Keiichiro lowered his head, but nodded strongly; Ryou, on the other hand, let his arms fell down his sides and after muttering a _whatever you want_ , went upstairs without adding anything else.

“Shirogane-san!"

Kei grabbed her shoulder softly and reassured her:

“Don't worry, Retasu. I think I understand him. You know it very well, he and I are very fond of you girls, and this thing… It's dangerous. Don't blame him if it takes him a while to digest it.”

“Akasaka-san…”

He smiled softly, and she and the other girls reciprocated, while Purin clung to his arm.

"You will see that tomorrow we will be as always ready to help you,” continued the gentle brunette, heedless of the extra fifty kilos that dangled from his hand, “Now, however, you'd better go home and rest well, especially you Zakuro, you're still fully jet-lagged.”

The girls nodded and headed to the exit, in fact too tired and confused to be able to discuss anything more.

“Wait…! My bag!”

"Did you lose it, Ichigo?"

“No!” she blurted out, annoyed by Minto's tone, “I left it in the locker room… You go ahead, see you tomorrow.”

She waved to the ballerina and turned fast on her heels.

She took a few seconds to retrieve her cross-body bag, but when she came back the Café was already completely empty, even the noise of Keiichiro fussing in the kitchen was gone. The redhead spent a moment contemplating the peace of that place, so dear and familiar, with the sunset light flooding with crimson the whole silent main hall, creating a warm and quiet atmosphere.

"Why still here?"

Ryou's slightly rude voice surprised her; she turned slightly, noting that the blond, under his usual flat expression, looked upset and that was very, very strange.

“I forgot my bag,” she muttered “Why, you have to host a party and I can't hang around?”

He didn't answer her and continued to sip the bottle of tea he was holding with a bored air. Ichigo was increasingly surprised, it was difficult for Ryou to not respond to her provocations.

"So... Did your trip go well?”

He asked acrimoniously. Ichigo snorted weary and started chanting in the most sarcastic tone she could muster:

"Yes, boss, no one has extorted vital information about Earth, project Mew, or anything else that you might find _vaguely_ important! In fact, I'll tell you!”, she said disdainful, "I could say I had fun, I think I have made a new friend…”

“I was talking about Kisshu.”

Ichigo was staggered:

“What does Kisshu have to do with it?"

“ How many times has he managed to jump on you?"

A mixture of cruel irony and an incomprehensible deaf rage in those words. Ichigo, instead of feeling uncomfortable, took offense and snapped at attention:

"How dare you?! Do you think I'd allow him such a thing?!”

The embarrassment in her eyes betrayed something different; not what the blond thought, but enough to harden the look he sent to the redhead as he laid out a mocking grin:

"It’s never happened, indeed.”

His sarcasm only angered the mewneko:

“You're a moron!"

“Maybe. You, meanwhile, are blushing like a little girl.”

"What are you implying?”

In response, he wore the most malignant and poisonous smile he was capable of. The girl was so furious that she could no longer articulate a proper insult.

How… How dare he even suggest that _she_ …?!

_ She wasn't like that! _ She loved Masaya; she was madly in love with Masaya! She could never…!

And why would she?!

Masaya was sweet, thoughtful, he was _perfect_!

He was everything to her.

"I love Masaya!"

Ryou imperceptibly furrowed his brow.

Perhaps that little girl had finally decided on his funeral and wanted to give him the final blow with that sentence, at least judging by how he felt his heart addling to a grape; or maybe she enjoyed slamming her perfect love in everyone's face, regardless of where her shots got at.

He took a deep breath to calm down, he was becoming unfair. He knew perfectly well that Ichigo was not like that, that the only thing that allowed her to distribute her waves of love all around was only the ignorance of other people's feelings.

_ And it must stay this way. _ _ _

“ Yes, I know,” a flat tone that betrayed nothing of the effort he was making to speak, “But you are imprudent.”

He didn't know for how long he could resist from meddling between Ichigo and her environmentalist tuna, but he certainly couldn't tolerate Kisshu playing some odd game.

From Ichigo's reactions he feared that he had already tried.

He couldn't let him do it again.

He ì slowly approached the redhead, weighing the steps and movements of the hand that rose to brush her bangs; if he hadn’t held back, if he hadn’t thought, even for a second, he wouldn’t have resisted that tenderly sulky face:

“ Try to be careful. I don't want anything to happen that could hurt you.”

She hushed; suddenly she found it difficult to swallow.

"W-what do you mean?”

He did not answer but rubbed a red strand between his thumb and forefinger.

A little bell in Ichigo's head was shouting not to stand there, to go home, but her legs once again did not seem willing to obey her, so she lingered, a statue of salt staring dreamlessly at the boy's blue eyes.

What held Ryou back, what made him rigidly walk back and go upstairs again, Ichigo did not know; as soon as he was far enough away, however, the redhead hugged her purse to her chest and ran out at full speed, praying that the cool evening air would wash away those terrible palpitations that still flooded every inch of skin with sweet chills. 

She couldn't sleep that night: lying in her bed, in her comfortable pink pajama, and hugging her pillow, she rolled from side to side, agitated, nervous, confused.

What was happening to her?

She was certain of her feelings, she loved Masaya! Then why did she have to feel like that?

She laid on her side and looked at the alarm clock, it was past midnight.

She slowly reached out to her cell phone, selected the number in the address book, and called; the device remained silent for a few seconds, then an electronic voice informed her that the number was not available.

She sighed and hung up, better to avoid leaving a voicemail.

Of course it was off, it was late. Masaya was a model student, attentive and diligent, it was normal that at such an hour he was not reachable.

Ichigo sank her face into the pillow, unable to silence a malignant little voice gnawing in a corner of her brain. Always off... Didn't it ever occur to him that he could keep it on for her? She certainly wouldn't have bothered him at every hour of the night!

Didn't he ever think she wanted to hear from him? That maybe she _needed_ to hear from him?

And didn’t he care to hear her voice, the nights he stayed up a little longer?

She was craving it at that moment.

Wanted... No, she _had_ to speak to him. She needed him, to be warmed by his sweetness, to be told _I love you_ by her perfect prince.

Instead, she was answered by a recorded message from a speech synthesizer, which made her feel immensely alone. She felt a lump tightening her throat and tried in vain to fall asleep, curling up under the sheets.

She tried to focus on the memory of his voice, on the feeling of their kisses and their hugs.

But the thought alone failed to ward off the fresh, burning sensations of Kisshu's embraces and kiss, or to make her forget the smell of Ryou's aftershave that had invaded her lungs. 

She felt dirty and mean. She wanted to cry and, mechanically, tried in vain to call another time; she was again greeted by the synthetic voice and hung up at the third word, and then called again.

Voicemail. Hang up.

Call again. Voicemail.

Voicemail.

_ Masaya… I need you… _ _ _

***

“Ichigo, are you okay? You're so pale…!” a caring Retasu asked her.

"I'm fine, I thank you," she lied, "I just slept very badly…”

She actually had not managed to get any sleep. She had spent the night in an exhausting half-sleep, stubbornly insisting on phoning a number that wouldn’t answer, until she had caved in at dawn; when, a few hours later, her mother had called her for the fifth time, forcing her to get up, she had realized that the battery of her cellphone had died: she had plunged to the socket, but when she had attached the mobile phone to the charger, it had already been too late:

_ “Hello baby,” _ Masaya's voice, in her voicemail, seemed very far away, “ _I saw your calls... Is everything okay? I have practice again today, if you can, as soon as school is over, we can meet outside the gym.”_ _ _

And nothing more.

She had immediately tried to call him back, but the voicemail had again welcomed her with open arms, a sign both that the boy was already on the train and that – as a result – she was frightenedly late, so she couldn’t see him before class. She couldn't even see him before going to the Café, she had already agreed with the girls that they were going to meet immediately after school to look for the Mew Aqua.

She sighed, disheartened; she couldn’t catch a break…

"Ichigo-chan is very influenced by the seasons," Ayumi chuckled, "When it gets hot, she doesn't sleep at night and snoozes during the day… she’s basically a cat!”

"Yeah…” Ichigo prayed that her sarcastic tone would go unnoticed, “Basically.”

"So you’re not coming shopping with me today?"

Ayu asked disappointed; Retasu raised her hand in an apology:

"Shirogane-san asked us to help him in some extra chores at the Café," she dissembled with a smile, "In exchange for paid hours."

"Greedy!” Ayumi teased them; then she snorted, “That Shirogane is a tyrant!”

“You can bet on that, _meeeeeow…_ ”

"But he’s a hot piece of ass.”

Ichigo stopped suddenly, the little bell around her neck ringing, and could not prevent the previous night’s scene, nor the blond’s scent, from overwhelmingly invading her mind.

Hey! First MoiMoi, now her?!

"What’s the matter with you all,” she lost it, exasperated, “Quit it with all these chatters!”

And she sped towards school like a fury, without turning around.

"What did I say wrong?"

***

Ichigo's mood did not improve during the day. The search had been endless and fruitless, she and the girls had only returned in the evening and between dinner, the endless questions from her father's Spanish Inquisition ("why so late?", "you were with Aoyama-kun right? He should be more careful about these things!") and the new uncompromising rule of doing at least a couple of hours of homework a day, to avoid the usual collapse of her school GPA in the middle of the year, when finally she had the calm and time to phone Masaya, it was again the voicemail that answered. 

“Ah, of course!” she told herself with a smile, “Masaya-kun cannot afford to fall behind with his studies, he’s aiming for the state university…”

She closed the keyboard against the screen and slumped on the bed with an exasperated sigh, pressing her arm against her already moistened eyelids.

"Damn it!"

She turned slowly on her side, crestfallen. She would have given anything to talk to someone...!

Minto?

_ As if she’d want to listen to my love complaints! At the very least, she’d tell me I'm too emotional. _ _ _

Retasu?

_ I'd just make her worry... And knowing her, she would give me a political reassurance, saying it's just a moment... _ _ _

Purin?

_ Never mind. _ _ _

Zakuro?

_ She’d probably explain to me that taking some distance is normal in a couple growing up, and she’d probably be right.  _

All things she didn't want to hear.

Deep in thought , she reached in the pocket of her skirt resting on her desk chair, grabbing the colorful transmitter MoiMoi had given her, and then taking to fiddling with it by passing it from hand to hand.

"I mean, is it possible that there's always a problem?"

_ “What?” _ _ _

The redhead screamed and squeezed the furry ball in her hands.

_ “ _ _ Ichigo? Is that you?” _ _ _

“M-M-M-MoiMoi?!”

She slowly opened her fingers and her heart began to decelerate as she comprehended the metallic voice vibrating from the small object.

_ “Ichigo-chan, is everything all right? "  _ she asked worriedly, _"You turned the transmitter on...”_ _ _

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to,” she stammered, “I was bored, I took it and…”

MoiMoi nodded with a small grunt.

“I'm sorry,” she continued, "I’ll go now, see y…”

_ “Ichigo. You alright?” _ _ _

The redhead was surprised by the question, but she did not disagree and stayed silent; the alien's voice was calm and kind, similar to the one Zakuro sometimes used when she understood something her friends didn't want to say.

_ "You have a strange tone,"  _ MoiMoi continued, _"Is everything okay?”_ _ _

“Y-yes... I mean...,” she hushed for another moment and then, sighing, couldn’t restrain herself from mumbling, “MoiMoi... Would you mind chatting a bit with me?”

She heard the other girl chuckle:

_ "A long night of wiring awaits me, so please begin.” _ _ _

***

After the first unsuccessful day of research, two more followed, just as disappointing. They had combed every corner of Tokyo by now, but none of them had had even a pale reaction to a possible crystal, whether they were emotionally nervous or not.

By the third day they were beginning to worry. Maybe the crystal hadn't stopped in Tokyo, maybe it wasn't even in Japan. Purin, bored while she walked, wondered what they could possibly do if it was abroad. Search the entire globe for Mew Aqua… It might have been fun, but how could she manage with all her young siblings?

"Phew! … you can never turn the corner and puff! Mew Aqua spotted!”

She looked at her reflection in the window of a grocery store for a second, still unable to get used to that image.

In three years, she had gained at least ten centimeters in height and, from under the tartan skirt in shades of blue, her legs were peeping, too thin for her liking; the curve of her hips had just started to appear, almost with annoyance, and the sailor-style t-shirt not perfectly fitted was enough to hide the hint of breast. She didn't like seeing herself like that, she was no longer a child but not yet an adult.

_ I'm weird. Is this what they call puberty? _ _ _

Maybe it was because she had started thinking of an annoying thing, but suddenly her body sent a slight glimmer.

"It can't be...!”

She turned exalted, at last she had found it!

Her enthusiasm, however, died out as it had exploded, seeing what was in front of her. She took the Mew pendant from her uniform’s pocket and spoke in it:

“Girls, I have good news and bad news,” she muttered, “Maybe it's better to start with the bad.”

***

The Yakori was one of the best-known public schools in the city.

It had a monumental complex consisting of elementary, middle and high school, as well as a swimming pool, athletics field, an auditorium and two gyms; tuition and school fees were moderate, but at the same time it provided an education five times better than the average of the other schools.

An elite school among public schools.

"And we should get in there?! Are you kidding?!” Ichigo stuttered to Ryou, "No way! I could never make it!”

“Yes, I know that.” he sighed resigned, “The Yakori has such a structure that students enrolled in elementary school have virtually no risk of failing the advancement of grade, but for those who enroll in the following years there is an aptitude test. I have serious doubts that you can reach the required standard.” 

"Are you calling me stupid?"

He didn't dignify her of a reply and Ichigo was grateful the Café was full of customers, or the rage would have awakened her tail. Retasu tried to advocate for her friend:

“I actually don't think any of us can pass it, and it would take too long anyway.”

"I'm going to deal with getting you in.”

“You don't want us to get us in as students, do you?!” the redhead asked, shocked, "Ryou, we're already going to school! How are we going to explain it?! What about our parents?!”

"Calm down."

He arrogantly shut her up, only increasing her anger.

“It will be a much simpler search than usual, you would find yourself in a well-defined enclosed space, wouldn't you? For a few days you can pretend to be sick, you must have classmates at school who can pass the message.”

"Of course," Ichigo hissed poisonous “Unlike _you_ , Mr. Likable, _we_ have a social life beyond these walls!"

“I’m glad,” he replied flat without even considering her provocation, “As for your parents, just say nothing; you'll go out in the mornings for school and simply, you'll go somewhere else.”

The m ewneko groaned angrily, in her opinion he was still making it too easy, but she was convinced that protesting would be useless: the expressions of her friends told her that they believed it was a good plan and she too should accept it.

Ryou took his chin in his hand and reflected a moment:

“ Ichigo, I need Masha.”

He said to her, extending his palm.

“What? Why?”

"I hope your friends want to help, don't they?” he sneered, “I need the data recorded on our last meeting. Tell them I’ll take care of the rest.”

***

“... And he said that,” the redhead ceased to explain, “But of course you won't have to infiltrate yourselves!”

"No, you have to go all together."

MoiMoi said, and went back to tinker with who knew what, never looking at her again.

As soon as they had tracked down the Mew Aqua, the five Earthlings had alerted Kisshu and the others in order to decide what to do; since Pai and MoiMoi had announced that they had managed to stabilize the portal, they had asked to be joined on the other side and receive a face-to-face report.

"We don't know exactly where the drop is," MoiMoi said, rummaging in a drawer, “It could be hidden somewhere, or merged with an animal, or even with a person."

She exulted finally finding what she wanted and ran to the boys, putting something very thin on their wrists:

"It’s better you stay together and sneak in among the students, some of them may have assimilated the Mew Aqua unconsciously... _Et voila_!”

She smiled with satisfaction as Taruto peered at the strange bracelet with a dubious face:

“What the hell are those?”

“Automatic shielding devices,” Pai laconically said, "They will automatically regulate depending on the situation, so as not to let us attract any attention.”

"I don't see any difference."

Minto observed skeptically.

"We set them up on purpose! You won't notice any difference,” MoiMoi explained, “Other Earthlings, instead, won’t see the physical characteristics that distinguish us, such as ears or complexion. If they work smoothly, they would be useful on other worlds as well, and we could make them for you too.”

"Thank you MoiMoi," Ichigo smiled, "You're great!"

“ I just assembled the pieces!” she chuckled with false modesty, “All the credit goes to Pai-chan!”

“Senpai, could you please ditch that ‘chan’?”

Ichigo glared at the boy and clung to MoiMoi in a protective way:

“You're so rude! Calling such a pretty little girl _senpai_!”

Pai merely looked at her skeptically:

"I wasn't teasing her."

Ichigo soured her glance.

“Uhm, kitten, he’s not kidding”, Kisshu pointed to his half-brothers, Eyner and himself, “We’re all her kohai.”

“What?"

She pushed MoiMoi slightly away, looking at her doe-eyed:

“ MoiMoi... How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

It wasn't just Ichigo who screamed in amazement; even Zakuro seemed startled.

"I…” the mewneko stared admiringly at the smooth, childish face of MoiMoi, "I thought you were… I don’t know… sixteen?”

"You are so cute!" MoiMoi squealed delighted, clinging to her neck, "You’re so kind! You're embarrassing me!”

She glowered at her kohai and threatened them with her index finger:

“ Is that heard?! I'm almost at a quarter of a century and I'm still a cute girl, so be kinder from now on!”

Sando, from the shadows, barely clicked his tongue. MoiMoi stopped any other comment by clapping her hands:

"All right! Everybody go, go! Remember that the passage is now stable, so you can also teleport from one side to the other.”

"Oh really?"

Kisshu immediately thought he would take advantage of it.

"Shall we give it a try, Ichigo?"

He didn't even give her time to answer that he hugged her hips and teleported away, followed by the others. All alone, MoiMoi turned to look at Sando in an annoyed way:

“ You're obnoxious!"

"I didn't say anything.”

She glared at him and he raised his hand in apology:

“I was joking.”

"I forgive you if you say I'm pretty."

She pressed her forefingers to her cheeks, and he answered with a skeptical air, a little uncomfortable. MoiMoi sulked:

“Uff…”

"Stupid stuff aside," Sando resumed with a cough, "The humans… Do they know?”

MoiMoi suddenly stopped smiling and took on a slightly sad face. Sando looked at her sternly:

"Look, it's going to get more complicated."

“C’mon!” she replied cheerfully, “Next time, and it's not that important.”

"It is for you, isn't it?"

She looked at him without answering

“ Are you making friends with the redhead, or am I wrong?"

"And what do you know?"

"You communicated for at least two hours the other day!"

"Snooper!”

He raised an eyebrow:

“You use experimental equipment for women chitchats and I'm the snooper?”

MoiMoi looked away and did not answer again, making Sando sigh:

“ You find her nice, don't you?"

She stared at him; it was amazing the way he understood her right away. 

“MoiMoi... You have to tell them. I know you don't like lying.”

She was surprised by the comment that brought out a smile, but she didn't answer and went back to her job. Sando slightly massaged his neck:

“Stubbornness.” 

***

As soon as Ichigo put her feet on the ground, she tried to wriggle out of Kisshu's embrace, but he held her tightly to his chest.

"Come on, kitten, don't be always so rowdy! " he whispered in her ear, "I'm just hugging you.”

"Kisshu, come on!"

She felt the alien's nose graze the skin of her neck, and her heart soared.

"Kisshu, that's enough!"

She gave one last tug and managed to get away, but Kisshu was ready to reclaim her when the redhead saw, with relief and an inexplicable note of panic, a familiar figure stepping forward in long strides, and Kisshu abandoned all attempts to grab her.

_ Ryou _ .

Why was Ryou there?

She had the impression that he had been waiting outside the portal for a while, although she didn’t understand the reason. The boy didn’t seem to pay any attention to Ichigo, but stayed menacing scowling at Kisshu until the others arrived; then both of them, as in a silent agreement, simply stopped taking the other into account.

There was no need to talk, they had understood each other perfectly.

If they hadn't slaughtered each other, it was only because there was something more important at the time to worry about.

"If you're done with your stupid things," the American hissed with ferocity, "We have a makeover to do.”

Ichigo gave the finishing touches to her Yakori uniform and looked at the result in the mirror; she had to admit that as an uniform it was quite dull: a simple pleated grey skirt, with a white blouse and a sleeveless black sweater on top, with a bow of a tone lighter than the skirt, and white stockings.

“It feels like we’re going to a funeral…”

She looked sadly in the mirror and spotted the only cheerful note of her look, MoiMoi's ribbons.

The more she looked at them the more she liked them, they were showy but not tacky and very feminine, perfect for her.

_ Well, at least I don't look ready to be buried. _ _ _

She walked out of the locker room curious to see how her friends and their associates looked in that uniform.

“Ah Ichigo, finally!” Minto welcomed her, “It took you a while!”

The redhead frowned at her, a bit jealous: that outfit on her friend had a decidedly different effect than on her, and gave Minto a sober and very elegant air.

'Why are you like this and I look like an undertaker?'

"But no, Ichigo, it looks great on you!"

"Thank you Retasu...”

She smiled, but she kept thinking that it was the two of them who were very cute in that attire. Zakuro looked at them with an amused sigh: Ichigo thought she was going to be much more nervous, given that she had to play the student even though she had already graduated, but the mewwolf seemed to have willingly accepted the disguise.

“Ah, Zakuro nee-chan, such nostalgia!” chuckled Purin, “The braid! You look so good!”

Zakuro smiles lovingly at her, moving behind the shoulder the comfortable plait in which she always tied her hair when going to school:

"You're very pretty too, Purin.”

The blonde gloated and fixed her middle school uniform, which differed from theirs only for the sailor-style shirt.

“How the hell do you wear this stuff? I'm choking!”

Taruto grumbled: it was quite strange to see him dressed like that, in those grey pants and the Korean-style jacket, but overall, he looked nice.

“You look great, Taru-Taru!"

“If you say so…”

"You complain,” Kisshu reproached him, "I had to tie this noose thing around my neck! Are you crazy?!”

Ichigo clenched her lips as tight as she could so that her jaw wouldn't dangle in the air.

As for them, the high school men's uniform was a variant of the middle school’s one, with cadet grey pants, a white shirt and a black blazer with a dark blue tie.

Damn Kisshu.

He looked good dressed like that, damn good; Ichigo believed her heart was going to explode.

“You’re telling me that until we find that thing, I'll have to wear it every day?” he kept complaining, loosening the tie a little bit, “I will boil in here!”

Inside, Ichigo let out a scream of despair, it was not him that should have complained about the uniform, but her to wonder if she would survive having him glued to her every single day, above all dressed like that.

_ Kami-sama... What have I done wrong?! _ _ _

"Well," Minto sneered, "At least now you look decent and not like two circus freaks anymore."

Kisshu sent her a very mean look:

“And you more than ever look like nothing but a conceited crow, all in black.”

She looked at him with arrogance, refusing to reply, which irritated Kisshu even more: he loathed that superior attitude.

"Uff!” Taruto complained some more, “Where are Pai and Eyner?"

"Now that you make me think about it... Shirogane-san is missing too,” Retasu looked around doubtful, "Where could they be?”

In that moment, Keiichiro appeared from the stairs with a satisfied air; immediately behind, the three abovementioned, one of whom in particular did not seem at all pleased; in seeing them Kisshu blurted out:

"Why the hell are you wearing different clothes?"

Pai merely grunted, his expression so annoyed that they would probably be set on fire if they had walked near him; Eyner, on the other hand, seemed to be philosophical about it and was looking at his garments only a little intrigued by the novelty.

"Because we have to sift through every corner of that school," Ryou told him, "And we can't do that if we limit ourselves to the student body."

Ichigo risked another heart attack.

Ryou, like Pai and Eyner, was wearing a white shirt and very simple suit pants, nothing more, but he was still very breathtakingly handsome. 

"The three of us will be act as university interns."

“So you’ll be our teachers? Cool!”

“One second!” Kisshu protested, "Why did I end up in the brats’ group?”

"Hey!"

"Kisshu, we could never have passed off as students," Eyner pointed out, "Not even the oldest and most multi-repeating ones!"

“Are you implying that I look like an infant?"

"He's implying that you're fine where we put you," Pai hissed, very irritated by the whole situation, "So shut up and follow the plan without complaining."

Kisshu clicked his tongue, but obeyed: better not to push things too far when Pai was so revved up. 

"The issue is simple," Ryou said, “The sooner we find that drop, the sooner the undercover work ends. Try to attract little attention, but you will have to comb through every corner of the school; the three of us, as fake teachers, could listen to the rumors (strange facts, or students who have been behaving in a peculiar way for some time, anything that can be influenced by the crystal) and open the way to where students normally cannot enter. We will organize to conduct searches even at night, so we will drastically decrease the time we need to find it.”

"Even at night?!” Ichigo whined, "I just want to hope that you don't give homework, at least!”

“Do you have any idea what it's like to work undercover?” he replied sarcastically, “You will have to work to upkeep the image of an almost efficient student, Miss Momomiya.”

A slight note of panic and another too quick heartbeat clenched her stomach at that amused smile.

Yes, in another life Ichigo Momomiya must have committed unthinkable atrocities. She saw no other explanation for the tortures sent from above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it seems weird that Ichigo and the others are so mistaken about MoiMoi's age, even though she does have a very child-like face... Actually, it's based on a first-hand experience, when in Japan my partner and I (we were 25 and he had a long beard) were asked for ID to confirm that we were of age xD  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> If you like, you can follow me also here ❤  
> https://ria-shuiryu.tumblr.com/  
> https://www.instagram.com/ria_efp/


	5. Towards the crossing: first road (part I) - O-bento, chatter and raise a smile

Ichigo sat with a snort at her new desk, placing her elbows down and resting her face on her hands; she watched the professor ask for silence, and she took advantage of the last moments of commotion to check her cell phone: she read Masaya's answer quickly and her heart flicked pleasantly.

_ If it's that important, then I'll free myself for sure baby. See you at 4 p.m. at our usual place, kiss _

She smiled so happily that Minto, two desks in front, had to hit her forehead with an eraser to disenchant her. Ichigo glared at the mewbird and mouthed:

"Ouch, what the hell are you doing?!”

"Wake up, silly."

Was the laconic answer. Ichigo growled quietly and heard someone chuckle softly: two desks to the left and two back, Kisshu had witnessed that exchange and seemed very amused. The redhead snubbed him, neither he nor anyone else could have spoiled her mood for the rest of the day.

At last she would spend some time with Masaya, an entire afternoon with him: she could talk to him about everything that was going on, which she had not been able to do in the previous days, get a little advice… But above all, they could spend hours just the two of them! Finally, all her torments would be wiped out and her thirsty heart, which in those few days had felt so lonely and dirty, would be reborn clean.

_ Seven hours. Just seven hours. _ _ _

Nothing could have dissuaded her from going that afternoon: alien or conquerors, crystals or drops of Mew Aqua, protests of Ryou or not, there was ten of them at work and as many as four could perceive the crystal, as soon as the bell would have ranged, she would disappear like the wind. And neither Kisshu, nor Minto, nor the new classmates – who had largely performed ever so irritating squeals and giggles at the sight of the boy – nor that school for arrogant people, nor having Pai the pouter or Ryou the unbearable as teachers would take away that excitement and that joy. Unwaveringly happy.

_ Just seven hours. _ _ _

Further behind, Kisshu stretched his legs under the desk, crossing his ankles and his arms behind his head, puffing loudly. He knew exactly what made Ichigo so happy and it was making his blood boil: he believed that his little kitten and the amoeba had some problems, however it had been enough for Ichigo to read a text of not even five lines to start beaming with energy, a penny of the reaction she had had when he had hugged her. 

_ What the hell is so special about that earthling?! _ _ _

He nervously changed his position, already the situation was annoying in itself – he had never studied willingly, he had quickly paid his dues and now he had to replicate without the possibility of ditching – but he hoped at least that he could alternate the search for the crystal with a few moments in private with Ichigo, or maybe merge the two things... But how could he, if she kept having her boyfriend in her head and looked around with heart-shaped eyes?!

He was surprised when he heard something fall on his desk with a light thud, a small piece of folded paper. At first he thought it had been passed by one of those dull girls in uniform – he had a couple at the desks close to his and they all kept sending him languid glances with a fool air – and he reluctantly opened the slip, written in a small and elegant penmanship.

_ What you want to do with Ichigo is just your business, but now stop looking at her as if she were a roasted ham and focus, next period we're going to scour around with Retasu. _

_ M. _

_ Ps you're so blatantly jealous that I can hear your liver sizzle from here _

He came close to standing up and screaming in anger. He balled up the paper and furiously looked further ahead, briefly catching Minto’s self-restrained glance.

Okay, if she wanted to make him angry, she'd done it perfectly, she would have paid for that. 

The first hour went by like any other school hour in any institute of the globe in any spring of any year:calm, silent and quite monotonous, judging how Ichigo and Kisshu ended up snoozing before the bell. The following lesson saw Ryou as the teacher, and his entrance caused another rustle of spring chickens and caused Ichigo to have yet another, albeit mild, bout of tachycardia followed by a bile excess; excess that became overflowing when – the redhead had yet to understand what excuse Ryou had used with the other professors to let him do so – the boy announced to the "three students Midorikawa, Aizawa and Ikisatashi that they could leave”. The girl wondered desperately why she had not been included in the search group and why she would have to endure two significant hours of biology. More annoyed than her was Kisshu, who had instead guessed very well the American’s intentions.

"I won’t leave you alone with Ichigo anymore, if I can stop it."

Ryou's ice-colored stare was saying, as he, grinning, scrutinized Kisshu's face disappearing past the sliding door.

All right, the alien's blacklist was increasing by the minute.

He and the two girls walked away from the classroom, stopping in front of the stairs, and Minto crossed her arms to her chest:

"Well, I think we should split up.”

“Split up?” Kisshu looked at her skeptically, “Little crow, I can’t sense the Mew Aqua, otherwise I wouldn’t be here, dressed like a fool.”

“But you can see if anything suspicious happens,” she declared and pulled out of her pocket a hairy acid green ball just bigger than a marble, “MoiMoi built transmitters for everyone.”

Kisshu distractedly felt in his pocket, found his transmitter and nodded, grunting. He had to admit that his senpai was tremendous, she had given a prototype of those things to Ichigo just three days earlier, and had managed to perfect them enough to reduce their size to almost a third; although the color and design choice did not remain her _forte_ , it was still like chatting with a punk hamster.

"We meet again here in two hours, before Shirogane’s class ends,” Minto said authoritatively, “Let’s try and hurry up.”

All three headed in different directions. Retasu tried to remember which classrooms she was inspecting and what area of the school she was in, so as to check with the others the areas already searched.

That campus was huge. They had decided that, during daylight hours, they would take turns checking the high school building, taking advantage of the lessons taught by Pai or Ryou, and so would Zakuro taking care of the third year’s floor, the higher one, which included many club rooms; Purin and Taruto, on the other hand, would scour the middle and elementary school buildings, easily accessible on both sides and much smaller than the high school, helped by Eyner, the only one of the fake college students to be shipped to another area. The only remaining problem were the places not reachable during the “hooky hours” or to which not even a professor could access without a valid reason, such as the swimming pool, but for those they would follow Ryou’s idea about night shift rounds. 

In that moment, Retasu was descending to the first floor, among the first-year students’ classrooms, where there were also the classrooms for elective subjects and courses, places that therefore remained closed for a long time. The girl felt a little uncomfortable and at the same time a little excited, she had never found herself wandering the deserted corridors mid-morning: she swayed for a few minutes from one classroom to another, reading the tags posted on the sides of the doors – "Music Room 1", "Live Art Laboratory", "Chemistry Room 2" – when her attention was captured by a slightly different door, made in Western style; beyond that threshold, the wall went on smooth, a sign that there had to be only one room, and on the metal plate the inscription read "Library 1". Something in the Japanese girl’s soul awoke with a start, a library at school? Neither in middle school nor in high school she had had a real library, only a small reading room and dozens of wonderful, wonderful books unfortunately untouchable without written permission and guarded with jealousy by the responsible professor.

_ But will it be true? _ _ _

She timidly opened the door, looking through the crack: a long and wide classroom, with dozens and dozens of light wooden shelves full of volumes and metal tables scattered here and there, where some third-year students were absorbed in more or less fruitful searches and where someone else, with an agitated air, betrayed their hooky activities and the attempt to recover some forgotten homework. It was a library, small, but a real library. Retasu felt over the moon.

_ Ah, but the Mew Aqua... _ _ _

She sighed and made to close the door, when an idea came to her mind: after all, the drop could be there too, right? It was a very large classroom; a lot of students came in… It could be a good place to check. 

_ Okay, just one patrol round.  _ _ _

***

Eyner sighed with relief when he reached the roof, he was really exhausted; he wondered why only he had ended up teaching kids, but he immediately realized that it was a pointless question that would never get answered. He strolled for a while on that huge roof: although the elementary and middle school facilities were separated from the high school by internal divisions, for security reasons the roof was one for the whole complex, accessible in case of emergency.

Well, his could be considered an emergency: he was dead tired, he had checked every damn room he could get into, it was incredibly hot and another annoying feeling that he couldn't define had been haunting him for a while, and up there he could find a nice cool wind and a lot of quiet.

He walked for a few minutes to the other end of the roof; he was surprised when he spotted a silhouette in the distance, but he was even more so when he recognized who it was.

_ What is it, destiny? _ _ _

“Zakuro.”

The brunette, sitting on the outlet of the air conditioning system, barely looked up and nodded her head without speaking.

“Why are you here? Skipping class?”

He chuckled; she lifted a packet wrapped in cling film:

“Lunch.”

That's what that other annoying feeling was. Hunger.

“Actually, I haven't eaten anything since last night...”

He prayed that she had not heard the mighty gurgling of his stomach as he sat a short distance away, on the floor. Whether she had or not, the model stared at him a little, rummaged through the remains of another package, and took a third out, still untouched, handing it to him:

“ It was a potential snack for today,” she explained laconically, “But I will survive.”

He looked at her surprised and then smiled gratefully, forcibly ignoring the happy and immature jolt of his stomach at that kindness.

_ Don't be silly. _ _ _

"Thank you,” he dubiously inspected the package, “What is it?”

“Melon Pan.”

The answer did not satisfy the boy and Zakuro, after another bite to her pan, explained:

"Melon sandwich; it actually doesn't taste of melon; it just has that shape. That's chocolate.”

Eyner's confused expression was accentuated as he listened to her, unwrapped his lunch and studied it a little:

"Why give a food the name of something if it doesn't really taste of it?"

Zakuro held back an amused puff:

“Welcome to what’s called ‘culture shock’”, she joked, filling the air with the noise of cellophane crumpling, “It could happen to you often around here, Japanese people like to create things a little special.”

She resumed eating and the boy imitated her. They remained silent for a few minutes until Zakuro watched him ball up the empty paper and said:

“ You were hungry.”

He blew through his teeth in a playful way:

"Just a little bit."

Zakuro held back another laugh. Eyner felt his stomach give yet another squeeze: damn, those smiles just hinted at him were hitting his weak spot...

“Didn't Shirogane tell you that you should bring something to eat?”

"I think he _kindly_ forgot to warn us,” he replied a bit sarcastically, "I have the feeling that this whole thing is getting on his nerves, or rather, that us _aliens_ are very getting on his nerves. To put it politely.”

'You're not wrong,” she admitted, “Even if, let's say, he has his good reasons. Don't worry, though, he won't get in the way of our work.”

“If you say so,” he smiled and examined the ball of garbage he had made distractedly, “So for these things you need terrestrial money?”

Zakuro nodded:

"Downstairs there’s a café, I bought them there” she explained quickly, “But you can bring food from home.”

“Ah well, problem solved,” he chuckled, "And you?”

“With work and all, I didn't have time to prepare the bento,” she said with nonchalance and seeing his expression, she added, “Packed lunch.”

“With work... You mean the one at Shirogane's place?”

Zakuro shook her head:

"The other job."

Eyner continued to look at her curiously, but given that she was not replying, he hurriedly waved his hands:

"Let it go, it doesn't matter."

“I'm a model.”

Instead, she answered him; again, that summary was not enough, and she continued, thinking of how to explain it briefly:

"Basically, I wear clothes created by famous people and then I get photographed, so people can see the clothes and can decide if to buy them.”

Okay, maybe as a summary it was excessive, but to Eyner it seemed enough:

“Got it. And you're so busy that you can't feed yourself?”

She made a noise of self-importance.

“ You're not going to tell me that you’ll eat these the whole time we're going to be here? It may be good, but it's sweet... And I don't think it's a great source of nutrients.”

“Used to it,” she said flatly, "At home I'm always alone… I hate cooking for myself only, I prefer to buy prepared meals.”

Eyner stared at her for a moment without answering, she seemed to have become melancholy:

"Listen...”

A well-known noise suddenly interrupted him. Zakuro sighed and rose, elegantly getting off the tube:

“ First bell... I'm going to get back to work,” she said, while collecting her garbage, "You didn't find anything on your side either?”

"Absolute nothingness," he sighed weary, "I hope Taruto and Purin have better luck than I did.”

"Well," she continued, "At least I found a quiet place where to eat."

She opened the door that led downstairs and sent him one last amused glance:

"See you later then, professor.”

"Funny.”

***

While Zakuro and Eyner were eating on the roof, Kisshu was in full empty-stomach-crisis mode.

For the third time in two minutes he lay down with his whole face on the desk, lamenting gloomy:

"Hungry… I’m starving…”

“You’re so boring,” Minto said disdainfully, "Go get some food and stop it!”

“And how, if I may?” he muttered “Maybe you’d like to buy me lunch… Or if you want, I could sneak into the cafeteria and steal something.”

“Don't you dare!” Ichigo exclaimed, "We'd just need someone seeing you teleport, and we'd be done!”

“But I'm hungry, kitten!” he cried “Can we share your lunch?”

Ichigo protectively shielded her bento:

“Forget it! I put a lot of hard work into it!”

"If you did it with your own hands," he smiled, "Then I have to eat it."

"I said no!"

She blurted, blushing. Minto exhaled a dry sigh:

“ For heaven’s sake, Ichigo! I think your figure would only benefit from you eating a little less.”

"What did you just say?"

"And as for you," she condescendingly looked at Kisshu, "I don't recommend you try it; our redhead doesn't usually dance among the stoves, she fights with them.”

Before Ichigo could take a breath to insult her, Retasu burst into the classroom like a fury, sighing in relief:

"Thank goodness, I made it on time!”

“Retasu!” Minto's voice became a whisper, "Where the heck have you been?! You disappeared all morning!”

She saw her friend blush a little, uncomfortable:

"Nothing important,” she chuckled awkwardly, "It's just... I got distracted looking, you know.”

She gave the brunette no time to ask anything else and put her head inside her purse, extracting a gigantic bento; Ichigo opened her eyes wide:

"Are you going to eat all that stuff?"

Retasu smiled softly and shook her head, removing the cloth around the container and uncovering three separate ones:

"Purin and I guessed that you would not bring anything to eat," she politely said, "So we prepared something for Kisshu-san, Eyner-san, Taruto-san and Pai-san."

She handed one of the boxes to Kisshu who looked at her theatrically:

“For me?” she nodded, "You're a saint!"

"Correct.”

Minto sighed with a resigned smile; then she pointed the chopsticks at Kisshu, who was already stuffing himself:

“ Don't you dare take advantage of it, you! Tomorrow you’ll make do!”

"Hoping that tomorrow we won't have to come in here again...”

Ichigo mumbled through clenched teeth. Kisshu swallowed a large mouthful of onigiri and looked a moment at Retasu, who was putting aside a bento for herself and picking up two others; on his lips he painted a malignant smile:

“How come you haven't found a boyfriend yet?”

“Eh?!?”

“Kisshu, would you mind flirting with one girl at a time?"

Minto roared poisonous, but he ignored her:

“I was just asking,” he started counting on your fingers, “She is sweet, awkward, clumsy, four-eyed and with huge boobs, how is it possible that she doesn’t have a boyfriend yet?”

"Eh?!?!?!?”

"That you don’t have one, little crow, I understan –“

Both Ichigo and Minto hit him square in the forehead with the lids of the bento, shutting him up, and yelled together:

“You're an idiot!"

Retasu was still paralyzed by the subject, purple in the face, but she suddenly awoke to the loud _tonk!_ of the plastic against Kisshu's head and, holding the other bento, ran out before the lunch break ended. In the room, Kisshu's subdued lament rose like a dirge, ignored by the two furious girls who ate in front of him.

"Look, I was just trying to give compliments… ( _ouch…_ )”

***

Retasu was stuck in front of the professors' room where she spotted Pai, alone, sitting at a desk with a bored air. The girl called herself stupid, she had not considered that fundamental point: how could she (officially a student) bring lunch to him (officially a professor)?! The end of the world would have ensued!

_ What do I do now? _ _ _

Within seconds she pondered a brainy secrecy plan and hesitantly knocked on the door’s glass, attracting Pai's attention; as soon as he turned around, she motioned him to come out; keeping up with that system of hiding and giving signals, she took him to shelter behind a couple of soft drink dispensers. When he reached her, he seemed really annoyed:

“What is it?"

Retasu barely jolted at his curt tone, but it was at least five minutes that they were playing hide and seek, and he had every reason to be aggravated. She quickly handed him the bento, feeling her heart beating fast and her hands sweating.

"I... I thought you... You, and Taruto-san and Kisshu wouldn’t… wouldn’t have any food, so…”

Why did she have to do that? Yes, maybe it was a little awkward, but it was just a kind gesture from her, and with Kisshu it hadn’t been anything that complicated. Then why was it so difficult with Pai?

At that moment, so many doubts came to her mind that she almost withdrew the box: what if in fact he was not hungry? What if she had cooked things they wouldn't eat? Maybe it was better to just mind her own business...

She felt two fingers graze her as the bento was taken from her hands and she opened her eyes that she had tightened so well, barely catching Pai's half-smile and the slight _thank you,_ before he headed back.

***

“What a bore!"

With a puff and another curse between his teeth not at all suited to his age, Taruto slouched down on the floor:

“How is it possible that we haven't found a damn thing yet?! Where's that damned drop?!”

Purin sat next to him, also tired:

"I'm sure it's here somewhere," she said firmly, "But this place is so big…!"

They both sighed.

"Ah," the boy said suddenly, "I haven't thanked you for lunch yet."

“Was it good?"

He gave her a sly smile:

"Acceptable...”

"Hey!"

“I'm kidding, it was yummy. You're good!”

She smiled smugly:

"I'm an expert, I've been cooking for me and my little siblings for years, packed lunches have no secrets anymore!"

“You cook? What about your father?”

He immediately regretted the question, remembering that she no longer had her mother and fearing what might have happened to her father, but Purin smiled candidly:

"He's always on the road for tournaments and training, he rarely comes home, so I take care of it."

“You? I’m sorry, does he leave you and your brother alone?”

"Plural,” she corrected him, "I have four younger brothers and one little sister.”

“What?! And your father always leaves you alone?!”

“He knows he can count on me.”

Taruto's jaw opened so wide that it could have been proposed to the Guinness World Record.

"But he's a wretch!"

The blonde shrugs and smiled cheerfully; Taruto was speechless but, as she kept smiling, he looked down:

"He must have made you feel alone, right?”

Purin suddenly shut up.

Nobody. Nobody had ever asked her.

She looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time and after the first few seconds of bewilderment, she smiled again, but sadder:

"Yes. A lot.”

Taruto swore to himself that if he ever met the blonde's father, he would make him spend some quality time with one of his chimera animas.

“But I have my little siblings!” Purin said cheerfully, “You know, they help me so much... And I have the girls!”

She stretched and hugged him:

“ And now I have Taru-Taru again! " she looked at him contentedly, ignoring his blushing, "I could never feel alone!”

Taruto reciprocated the smile:

“You're really incredible…” 

“Is that a compliment?"

"I meant incredibly strange."

He corrected himself with a grumble. Purin ignored his protests and changed the subject:

"Hey, if you liked my bento, I'll do it tomorrow too!"

“... You don’t have to, I'm going to ask for help at home and bring something...”

“But I was happy to do it,” she smiled, “I’ve decided, I will prepare it for you tomorrow too!”

“Do you ever listen to others when they speak?” he sighed exasperatedly, “And then... I mean, it's embarrassing! You're not my girlfriend!”

The clarification seemed to hit the mark and Purin put her index finger to his cheek, weighing up the matter, and after a few moments she lit up:

“Well, if I become your girlfriend then can I do it? That's okay with me, I like Taru-Taru!”

Purin never believed she could see someone get redder than Ichigo.

With his new poppy-colored complexion, Taruto jumped to his feet and in a choked voice squealed:

"How can you say these thigs?! What's in your brain, swallows?!”

And he vanished at a martial pace in the hallway hoping that, moving away from Purin and her mental tangles, his heart would refrain from exploding.

***

When the bell rang, the whole gang gathered in a hidden corner of the courtyard: they all looked exhausted and distressed, with some showing also angry eyes.

Ryou, who spoke first, was at the top of the list:

"Can you tell me where Ichigo is?"

"She ran at the first buzz of the bell," Minto said with resignation, "She must have mumbled Masaya's name four or five times without answering me and ran out like a crazed person."

Ryou grunted annoyedly; Kisshu was also furious and was grumbling through his teeth all sorts of conceivable curses, from Masaya ending up squashed under a bus to all the globe’s cloud assembling above his head in order to ruin that wonderful afternoon of sunshine. Possibly raining boulders.

“Forget it... So, there's still a few hours before the school closes and we can check among the students in the clubs and in their classrooms. We still need to decide who will take the night shift."

"Ah, yes, that too…" grunted Kisshu, “And how would you decide?"

“Old-fashioned way.”

Ryou pulled from his pocket a band of wooden sticks, which he held from the bottom:

“Drawing straws. None of us want to have a sleepless night, so we're going to draw lots. Whoever takes the sticks with two red marks, is up.”

"What are we, in kindergarten?"

Was Kisshu's poisonous comment.

"I would also go a little further back in time…”

“Do you have any other more democratic ideas, Pai?"

The blond retorted with all the sarcasm he was endowed with; the other did not answer, and Zakuro, close to him, reached out and grabbed a stick, being careful to keep the bottom hidden in her clenched fist:

"Rather… when did you make this?”

"I gave up the coffee break," Ryou said, and took a stick himself, “Lately I feel like I'm too cranky, I have to decrease my caffeine intake.”

Everyone else grabbed a twig and held it tight. Purin, who adored those (stupid) things, looked around with a connivant air:

“ On three? One, two...”

When Kisshu looked in the palm of his hand, he held back a profanity, but he couldn't do the same with the groan that lifted from his core, seeing _who_ had the other stick with the two red marks:

"Well," he hissed, “With this, my day is missing only an attack of grasshoppers or a chasm of lava that swallows me...”

Minto's voice, who tossed her marked stick into the nearest bin, seemed to want to massacre him:

“Yes, what a pity, isn't it? Instead of a cat, you'll have to do night searches with a bird.”

***

The afternoon passed slowly, in heavy, sleepy hours accompanied by the chirping of birds and the flock of a warm breeze.

Pai had gone on a nervous walk through the courtyard of the institute, unable to stay a minute longer between those four walls. And to say that he had never had any problems with the enclosed spaces, he spent more than half his days there.

He was aware that the problem was not staying indoors, but that nerve-wracking search; at least, in those fruitless hours he had perhaps found a trail. Some professors were concerned about an unusual agitation among first-year students, something that had to do with desires and angels... Mysterious things and seemingly inexplicable phenomena anyway, all things that could somehow relate to the crystal. He had failed to understand very well, there were gaps in his knowledge of humans, but anyways they were collaborating with earthlings that could have given him some explanations; having clarified his doubts, he would have nothing left to do but assess with MoiMoi the potential of the Mew Aqua drop based on that information and, perhaps, they would be able to find that blessed fragment by the next day.

He found himself in front of the athletics field, surrounded by a high steel net and by small flowerbeds of green grass neatly studded with trees and benches. On one of the benches, just behind the curve of the 200-meter track, he identified a familiar silhouette topped with a curious mane of green hair, concentrated in a reading that was apparently to engaging for distracting her from it.

A vein darted on Pai's forehead, was that how she looked for that blessed crystal?

He took a deep breath to curb the urge to run her and threateningly scowl at her, it was Retasu, not Kisshu or Taruto: to pounce on her in that way would have been exaggerated and, by the way, he had the impression it was an attitude that sent her panicking a bit.

He sped up and went behind the flowerbeds to approach calmly, but Retasu looked so absorbed that she probably wouldn't have noticed him even if he had fallen into her arms. She had an expression that Pai had never seen her do, quiet and relaxed, with a slight satisfied smile; he had usually seen her make – better, attempt to make – combative faces, of doubt, of confusion, of fear, but never one like that.

He wondered why he was so surprised, if they were now on the same side it could be normal.

_ I still think she's relaxing too much... _ _ _

He came a little closer and then stopped again. Two boys, with a fairly adult air, perhaps in their third year, had approached not too far from him and were looking at the girl, confabulating. 

"So is that her?"

“Yes, I'd recognize her in a thousand, with that hair. She’s spent all morning in the library buzzing through the shelves and reading, I remember her well.”

The vein on Pai's forehead pulsated again, so she was a repeated offender in terms of laziness!

_ Has anyone here taken seriously the task of looking for the Mew Aqua?! _ _ _

“But you're right, she's really pretty!”

“Yes... You like girls with glasses, don't you? Maniac...”

“Yeah, as if you didn't think about them!”

"Who cares, she’s still pretty. Even though she looks a little dumb...”

“ Yes, today she stumbled twice, she got close to crashing to the ground.”

A general snickering:

"Did you at least see her underwear?"

“Who do you take me for?! I'm a gentleman!”

“Yeah, sure!”

“Anyway, what if she’s a bit pretentious…?”

“Nah! I think she’s one of those ones that with just one kind word, they’d do anything.”

"So, what do you say?"

“Let's try and talk to her, come on...”

"And what the hell would you be doing back here?"

Pai's peremptory voice even caused Retasu to jump, as well as the two third-year students who turned to look at him in terror: after all, he, within one morning, had made a name for himself as an ogre professor among more than half of the students.

“ P-p-professor Ikis...”

"If you have nothing better to do,” the calm tone was so menacing that it seemed to erase the warmth of the sun, “Don't stand here and gossip. Go!”

With a squeal the two ran for the hills instantly and Pai, grunting, strode to Retasu's bench; she meanwhile had snapped the book close and had taken to look at him alarmed, she did not understand what was wrong with him, but his look was frightening.

"Ehm... What did I do?”

The question came natural to her given his face.

“ Nothing,” he said, “I hate idiots.”

She looked at him confused, but he did not explain: it was not very clear even to him, but the comments of those two brats had gotten on his nerves. He took two breaths and calmed down a little, turning back to her with a stern but calm air:

“No, wait, there's one thing. Can you tell me what you're doing?”

Retasu jolted guilty, hiding the book behind her back:

“I-I... I was just... Here...,” she snapped her fingers, “Reflecting! Yes, a moment of pause and reflection!”

He looked at her, barely raising an eyebrow:

"It's the most blatant lie I've ever heard."

She blushed uneasily:

"I found a beautiful book," she admitted, bowing her head, "And I couldn't resist...”

“Didn't you read enough this morning in the library?"

He did not say it with malice, but there was a hint of reproach that made Retasu blush further:

“I haven't read all morning!” she protested, “I inspected! Then yes, I lingered in the library, but I didn't waste my time reading!”

He studied her inexpressively.

"I know full well that we have an important mission!” she insisted "I just... took a break, that's it.”

The face she made, all red, wrinkled and serious in trying to convince him, swept away any discontent on the part of Pai, who smiled up his sleeve:

"Okay, okay I get it."

He very lightly tapped her head with the attendance register, making her let out a small yelp.

"Nice cry."

She was shocked. Maybe she was wrong, but she was pretty sure he was teasing her.

“ It's just that... You scared me.”

She thought he was softly laughing, and it made her laugh too.

"Enough is enough, though,” he continued flatter, “Come on, go back searching, we have a short time before they close the campus.”

She nodded without replying, touching her head with her heart beating loudly.

***

By then it was getting dark and the sun had almost completely lowered over the horizon, casting long shadows over the whole city. Sitting in the park – _their_ park – on the usual bench – _their_ bench – Ichigo was blissfully with her head resting on Masaya's shoulder, while he stroked her hair and reflected a moment on the very long, twisted tale of his girlfriend.

"So," he said after a few minutes of silence, "I would say that you are once again in the midst of problems."

“Yes.” the mewneko muttered, “And so the time we can spend together will be halved...!”

She cried, but Masaya looked at her worried:

"What I am truly sorry about," he whispered, staring the light hazel eyes in the chocolate ones of hers, "Is that I am no longer able to protect you."

Ichigo melted into the sweetest of her smiles, embracing him.

Yes. Nothing and no one could compete with that joy, with the happiness that Masaya’s love and sweetness gave her.

"Don't worry," she comforted him, "I'll be careful."

He smiled at her and stroked her cheek softly.

“And... With that guy, Kisshu?”

Bad question.

Ichigo stiffened like a cod:

“What do you mean?"

He looked at her eloquently, he had not forgotten that the alien had demonstrated over and over again even in his presence a – could they call it that? – "excessive attachment" to Ichigo.

"Is it all right?"

“Of course!” she answered in a voice that was perhaps too high-pitched, "What could have happened? And by the way, if he had any strange intentions, I'd kick him, don't worry!”

She laughed, a little too loud, but it seemed enough for Masaya and smiling he said _ok_. Ichigo was a little disappointed.

That there was his whole reaction?

_ Well, after all, I told him everything's fine. _ _ _

It occurred to her how Ryou had resisted the beginning of that coalition and dismissed the thought forcefully: Ryou hadn’t done so because he cared about her, but because he hated the aliens.

Masaya, on the other hand, feared for her safety, but believed her words were completely – or almost entirely – true; therefore, he had no reason to fret too much.

_ That’s it. _ _ _

She smiled at him and came closer to him, who held her waist and pulled her to him by kissing her softly. Ichigo was instantly lost in that contact, leaning against the boy's chest, her head empty; when she felt that she had just parted her lips, she felt ready to faint from the emotion, she felt the thin trickle of his breath intertwining with hers…

Masaya slowly moved away, smiling at her, and placed a light kiss on her cheek while she was still trying to understand what had happened.

“I love you, my beautiful kitten,” he whispered, playing with the bell around her neck, “I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have to go back, don't you think?”

She, fuzzy-headed, looked at him and the sun setting completely, and nodded sadly.

“You know I'd stay here with you forever, but I'd like to avoid your father smashing my head with the bamboo sword,” he chuckled, "And above all, that you are reprimanded because of me.”

Ichigo nodded with an inebriated smile on her face, she felt as if her chest was about to overflow with contentment.

Never, never, ever could she have found a better Prince Charming than him.

She kept repeating it gloatingly to herself as they left the park holding hands, as he accompanied her home, while he stole another light kiss on the threshold; as she dined with a dreamy air, as she changed and went to sleep.

Everywhere, in order to stifle that selfish inner scream that asked – rather, demanded to know – why for the umpteenth time that kiss that _could_ become something more, had actually not.

***

Minto wrapped the sweater more tightly around herself and rubbed her hands along her arms, covered only by the shirt. For hours now she and Kisshu had scoured every area of the school that was difficult to access during the day: the auditorium, the research labs on the first floor, almost all the facilities where sports clubs kept their equipment. Unfortunately, nothing had come of the investigation, up to that point.

"And now," she said discourage, “Only the pool’s left."

The complex had a huge Olympic swimming pool, which in a few weeks would be divided between all the elementary, middle and high school classes, resulting in great confusion; for that reason, for a few days professors and attendants had been filling the pool and had started checking everything, from filtering systems to the state of preservation of the tiles, and the pool was again accessible.

Minto and Kisshu walked around for a while, without crossing over the fence, seeing nothing but the shimmer of the moon over the calm water. Kisshu snorted exasperatedly:

"Listen, little bird, we've been wandering like tormented souls for hours. I'm dead tired, how about we all leave and go home?”

“No,” she replied sternly, “We have to properly check it.” 

Kisshu melodramatically let his arms fall to his sides and sighed, rolling his eyes to the sky, as he watched the brunette sneak over the fence and climb over it.

"Do I have to admire your underwear, while you climb?”

"No one asked you to look under my skirt."

"A little complicated," he joked, teleporting in, “If you’re squirming your legs that way.”

She stared at him, resentful; she hadn’t thought of asking him to teleport with her, she would have spared herself the trouble. And the gaffe. Instead of being embarrassed, she stared even more annoyed at the boy and jumped to the other side with great agility, ignoring him.

“ Skills of a patented thief,” Kisshu laughed, “My congratulations.”

She stared at him darkly: 

"I’m not the one who wanted to steal from the cafeteria because they were hungry, at lunch.”

He answered with a grunt. Minto began to comb the entire perimeter of the pool, snooping under the canopy where students usually waited before entering, in the changing rooms, in the tool shed.

Nothing. Naught. _Nada._ Total void. Absolute zero.

"But are we sure the little monkey wasn't wrong?"

“ Absolutely not,” she replied convinced, “It's hard to feel it, but when it happens, we're _always_ sure we've found the crystal.”

Kisshu crossed his arms behind his head and gave no answer. Minto sighed; indeed, that fruitless search was frustrating, okay that that school was immense... But that much? She looked up demoralized, from there almost the entire profile of the school building was visible, including that slight glow above the middle school.

_ Glow...? _ _ _

“Kisshu, look there!"

“Uh?”

She grabbed his arm and pointed up; he squinted to see better and caught something.

“Did you see that?"

"Yes... What the hell is that?”

"It doesn't look like a reflection to me," the mewbird thought aloud, “Could it be the – “ 

There was a sudden flash from the roof and with a squeal Minto stepped back, slipping on the damp edge of the pool.

She had escaped a dip just a few days earlier, surely karma wanted to rebalance things.

That Kisshu was also included, whose arm the brunette was still firmly clutching, wasn’t certain, but anyways he too ended up straight in the water with a dull thud.

Although the day had been hot, it had not been enough to warm up the pool and Minto felt the cold swallowing her; her clothes, especially the nice black sweater, got soaked, immediately dragging her down, down, down in the dark, and even though she was good at swimming they wouldn't let her go back up. Stiffened, trying to push away the fear with all the strength she had in her soul, she took off her sweater and shoes with effort and tried to return back up, giving two strong strokes, but the surface remained far away; a pang of panic, another stroke and a pale hand closed around her thin wrist, pulling her out with a tug. Minto returned to the surface with a mighty breath, starting them to cough up chlorine on the white tiles.

"You and the water have a bad relationship, huh?” Kisshu teased her, badly sitting a meter away from her, "And this is the second time I’ve saved your skin, now.”

Kisshu had to thank that Minto was too breathless and too alerted to the fact that she actually owed him a huge favor, because otherwise she would have told him off. She sat up straighter, gradually resumingclarity:

"Yes," she sighed, Thank you."

She took another breath and pushed away the hair that was glued to her face, having slipped out of the undone chignon, only noticing after a while that Kisshu was looking at her differently:

“ What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

“…You just fell completely dressed into a pool, and you worry about your face?” he had a strange tone, “It's the blouse you should worry about...”

She confusedly checked herself and blushed all at once. With all that commotion, she hadn’t thought of that terrible union.

A white blouse and an unscheduled bath; with lace underwear.

She squeezed her arms against her chest, but realized that every inch of skin covered by the fabric, wet and sensually tight, had become potentially very dangerous.

“W-what are you starting at?” she blurted almost hysterically, “Look away! Right now!”

But he did not look a millimeter away. Minto saw him take off his jacket and huddled up a little more, becoming confused when he put it on her shoulders.

"I haven’t been in withdrawal for so long that I’d jump on you for so little," he said naughtily, "But better to hide that little body, what do you say?"

She sent him an offended glance, bundling up in the soaked blazer, it was amazing how he always found a way to mock her.

“You know, I could change my mind…”

"Idiot!"

Exactly. 

She watched him get up as he laughed and felt for a moment her anger calming down; perhaps Kisshu said too many and mean things, but she had to admit that he also knew how to make gentle gestures: the air was quite chilly and he couldn’t have been much warmer than her, with only his soggy shirt on him.

It was at that thought that Minto realized she was blushing for the second time.

That shirt was sticking too tightly and was perfectly marking his well-defined chest; his green hair, which looked black when wet, had clung to his pale neck and the bangs were dripping, behind which golden eyes seemed to tremble in contrast to those dark colors.

Minto quickly bowed her head and bit her tongue, had she by chance become dumb? As if she had never seen a guy just come out of the water.

_ Yes, but the situation usually implied it, it wasn’t by accident. _ _ _

And usually guys weren't aliens, or even just vaguely resembling Kisshu.

With yet another head jolt, Minto buttoned the blazer, which was basically a dress on her, and got up; it appeared that Kisshu hadn’t noticed anything, and absentmindedly squeezing a sopping sleeve, he asked her:

"What was that thing?"

"I d-don't know," she said, her voice as firmly as she could, "Maybe it's better check it out.”

He nodded. Minto took the purse she had left behind after climbing over the fence and Kisshu touched the arm she was handing him, teleporting with the mewbird to the roof; unfortunately,they saw nothing important: only the bare roof of the school and, for a moment, an indefinite shadow that closed the door to the lower floor.

"Did I dream that?”

Kisshu shook his head; after all, he saw as well at night as in the daytime:

"There was someone, certainly a human being.” he preceded her, reassuring her, “Strange, however, I didn’t hear anyone come in.” 

"It must have happened when we fell into the water...”

Kisshu rubbed his neck, exhaustedly sighing:

"Listen, little bird, at this point I would say that we looked everywhere, but if there was actually anything here (and I can be a finger there was), for the moment, it vanished; I don't know if it's something that pops up or happens only at night... What I do know is that I'm drenched and dead tired, how about we raise the white flag and talk about it tomorrow with the others?”

Minto agreed weakly:

"Yes, you're right," she rummaged distractedly through her bag looking for her cell phone, it showed a quarter to four in the morning, “I wouldn’t mind sleeping at least three or four hours.”

He took her arm again and teleported away. They appeared in front of the Aizawa mansion, exactly on the brunette’s balcony, and she, surprised, looked at the boy:

“You got the right room?”

“Seriously? " he was astonished, “I only remembered where your house was, here I guessed.”

“Ah, yes... That time you kindly interrupted that party in my garden, almost offing Saionji-san out.”

Kisshu made a strange grimace:

"Never remember a value of mine, all of you ladies are so prejudiced towards me!"

She sighed exasperatedly, but did not hide a smile.

“ Ah, I have to give you your jacket back...”

She glowered at him and he turned with a dramatic attitude:

"I won’t look, I won't look!"

More convinced, but always uncomfortable, she turned her back to him and slowly took off the blazer, which was not at all simple given that, it being so drenched, it was quite heavy and it stopped at every turn; when she finally managed to accomplish the titanic feat she passed, always with her back turned, the jacket to the boy, who took it lost in thought.

“ Ah, speaking of...”

As promised, he didn’t turn around, but for Minto's likings he still came too close when she felt him press his shoulder on her scapula:

"Before bugging me for how I behave...” he whispered to her in a low voice, “ _You_ ’d better avoid looking at me as if you wanted to eat me, you know?"

She turned at once, angry and red-faced for the embarrassment, only managing to see hi satisfied grin: from the face that Minto had made, Kisshu felt more than repaid for the funny note from that morning.

Minto staid still for a few seconds and then, livid, opened the window so hard that she scared to death the little Miky, who sent a dry bark.

"Miky, please stop!”

She blurted out and the Pomeranian curled up in an angry bark, his owner never treated him so sharply. In that moment, however, Minto felt so humiliated and furious that if it hadn’t been the middle of the night – and if such a gesture wouldn’t have called a hundred servants and maids to her room – she would have screamed with full lungs all the expletives she knew. She began to take off her soggy uniform, abandoning it around the room, and went to her gigantic walk-in closet, pulled open a drawer and, still twitching with anger, grabbed a very soft, sweet-scented blue shower towel, rubbing her head in a frenzy without even bothering to undo the chignon.

“That... Ugly...! Annoying! Lewd...! Piece of...! »

She ended up making her head like a hedgehog just in order to vent; once calmer, she took off the dripping underwear that fell with small deaf thuds on the polished floor, then wrapped the towel around her and huddled up on the bed, warming up her icy skin. She remained still for a while to calm down completely and began to caress her little dog's face, who was leaning towards her with his paws resting on the mattress, and after a few minutes she took him in her arms for a cuddle.

She was furious with herself: she had looked foolish and had not even been able to defend herself, it had been too clear to deny it.

All just because that unbearable Kisshu was _minimally_ attractive and she was a girl?! It had to happen just for an unnecessary human biological predisposition?!

_ No. _

She may not have been as immune to her natural impulses as she had hoped, but she certainly wouldn't get involved in such vulgar things; she had to maintain her status and rise up as compared to the masses.

She was not a person of such _low instincts._ She was an individual superior to such lowliness.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't make that gossipmonger pay for his desire to be so witty. 


	6. Toward the crossing: first road (part II) - The Angel and the First Mew Aqua Drop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Angel... You mean that earthly myth of humans with wings?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The lewd and homofobic language of certain characters is just a characterization and in no way represent the author's opinions. I apologize to those of you who are more sensitive.  
> .  
> \- a "yankee" in japanese culture is a thug

The group gathered early the next morning at the Café to discuss everything they had collected in the previous day, namely little and nothing. With MoiMoi on speaker from one of their little furry transmitters, Zakuro's blue one – the only one of a bearable color at seven in the morning – they tried to analyze that little, focusing on the strange glow seen by Minto and Kisshu the night before and the rumors that Pai, but also Ryou, had heard among the professors about a mysterious "angel".

_ “Angel... You mean that earthly myth of humans with wings? _ ”

MoiMoi's tiny voice asked on the other side; when Kisshu heard it, he pressed his hands hard on his temples:

“Senpai, please, turn the volume down... I slept three hours, spare me…”

“I don't believe so, in this case, MoiMoi.” Retasu reflected, “Pai-san and Shirogane-san spoke of angels... Angels, school roof...”

The girls looked at each other, grasping the green-haired girl’s intuition, and Ichigo let out a terrified whimper.

"Are you thinking about one of those things like _kokkuri?"_

“Ko- _what_ _?”_

"Literally, it means ‘divination with the board’," Minto explained, her speech slurred from the lack of sleep, "It was a type of divination that was often used once… it’s still in fashion among teens in school.”

"Divination?"

Pai pressed two fingers to the root of his nose, when Taruto started asking questions in that way, as if he was acting very badly, he seemed dumb.

"It means to… call spirits, or the dead, to help you solve a question.”

The brunette continued to explain; Ichigo was getting paler and paler.

"You take a page, or a board, with the alphabet written on it, you put a coin on it, all the participants put a finger on the coin, and (theoretically) the spirit answers your questions by making you move the coin."

Eyner looked at them in disbelief:

"And you humans believe in these things?"

"I don't believe it," Minto replied conceited, "But in theory everyone knows how it works... One more reason I will not get involved. You know what they say, better not to risk it, calling back the dead...”

“It's such a… macabre thing!”

Eyner exclaimed with a grimace.

"It's absurd."

Taruto was skeptical; Kisshu seemed amused:

"It's too stupid!"

"It's terrifying!"

Was Ichigo’s, now huddled behind Retasu, stifled cry of terror

_ “But what does divination have to do with the angel? _ ”

"It's in style among students," Zakuro explained, "You know, kind of an urban legend. More or less in all schools there’s the rumor that there is a spirit, or an angel as they now call it more often, that in some way (with kokkuri, or in other ways) makes wishes come true.”

Ichigo was clinging to Retasu's skirt so hardly that she could tear it at any moment.

"You don't want to believe that such a stupidity is related to the Mew Aqua!"

Ryou exclaimed scandalized. They heard MoiMoi murmuring, pondering:

"I _don't think it's like fulfilling a wish,"_ she said, " _But_ _we can assume that if there are people who get close to the drop, they receive an influence beneficial to their existence, which they can believe it’s due to higher intervention._ ”

"But the Mew Aqua can't get you to start dating someone!"

Retasu said, immediately regretting it when all the glances moved on her:

"Isn’t it what usually girls ask for, to the angel?"

She asked slowly; Minto nodded forcefully:

"Always the same nonsense."

_ “Well, obviously such a thing isn’t possible,” _ MoiMoi continued, _“However, the_ _Mew Aqua is a source of positive energy: we have never tested it, but if it can restore life to a dying planet, perhaps it can give energy to a person; a lot of energy leads people to_ _be positive and have more_ _self-confidence, perhaps so much as to declare their feelings to someone. Even if the process is different, the result would be the same, wouldn't it?”_

"Yes, as a theory it holds up,” Pai reflected, “Humans are not even able to properly engage with each other, without the right energy stimulus."

"Of course, Pai, from your category of robots you always know how to provide lucid judgments," Kisshu joked, "None of us are a battery, you know!"

"I am saying – Pai articulated again, slowly, as if to be understood by someone quite slow “That people tend to have difficulties operating when they are depressed, and usually when they are depressed, they are also physically weaker. On the contrary, if they feel more energetic, they are more cheerful and act with zeal; it's just a matter of how they relate psychologically to their physical state.”

Kisshu gave no answer. His line of thought could even make sense, but nothing detracted from the fact that if it had come out of a computer, it would have surprised him less.

_ My brother has neither heart nor brain under that skin, but only _ _the central analysis system of_ _a computer._ _ _

"So you think this hypothesis makes sense."

Ryou sighed; seeing that no one was replying, but only Pai looking at him sternly, he sighed harder, rubbing a hand on his forehead:

“Good. So, let's check if this phantom "angel" is there, and if, with him, we find the Mew Aqua.”

***

That morning, the job was entirely delegated to the girls. Perfectly at ease amid the chatter and gossip of the school desks, they began to test the waters in search of information about the school’s angel, receiving much more interesting news than they expected.

"It all happened just over two weeks ago."

Explained a brunette with wavy hair to her mates, the desks side by side during the hour of free study; Retasu, Minto and Ichigo pretended to hang from her lips at the idea of a supernatural being who granted wishes, but in reality they were scanning every detail she reported to understand if, really, it was the Mew Aqua.

First consistent clue, time factor. Just over two weeks... It coincided with the attack of the Ancestrals and the crystal smashing.

"They say that it’s on the middle school roof, but it’s not always there; it appears only at night, in the form of a girl.”

That matched what Minto and Kisshu had seen the previous night.

"Oh jeez, so scary…!”

“Ichigo...”

Retasu sent a comforting glance to her friend, as white as a sheet: the redhead had been trying to convince herself for hours that the whole story was only about the Mew Aqua, but instead it looked like they were all ghost stories, and she was terrified to death by such things!

The narrating brunette smiled slyly at her face and leaned more on the desk, lowering her voice, taking on a macabre tone:

“They say it's the specter of a girl who died years ago, but she's linked to the school and helps students... When she appears, you’re irradiated by an incredible light and a sense of wellness, and that’s a sign that she has fulfilled your wish.”

Minto ignored the choked whimper of the mewneko, what they had just heard was far more important.

An incredible light and a sense of well-being... Those were the purifying effects of the crystal.

"Ouch, Ichigo...! You're crushing my hand!”

The mewbird looked annoyed at the redhead who had clung to poor Retasu, she was so pale that she could faint at any moment.

“And how can you say it works?”

Minto asked again, perfectly acting the part of the curious girl. The brunette blushed happily and pointed to herself:

"It worked for me!” she got a little closer, by now the small group was all protruding from their desks, “I couldn’t declare myself to the senpai... And all of a sudden I did it!”

Her friends squeezed her, muffling excited screams and giggles of mockery.

“ It was like… a rush of adrenaline! Suddenly I had the strength to go and talk to him, I was so full of energy!”

Third point, infusion of beneficial energy in people. The three MewMew secretly exchanged eloquent glances, maybe it really was the crystal.  ** **

_ “It's really interesting,”  _ MoiMoi said, “ _I'm starting to believe that we’ve found the right track.”_

Ichigo, Kisshu, Minto, Retasu, Zakuro, Purin and Taruto, all crouching in a corner of the courtyard, huddled around the transmitter that the mewneko held in her hand, careful not to be seen.

“Couldn't we wait for our lunch break?”

Taruto hissed with clenched teeth, squashed on Purin to remain hidden behind the wall; his face was scarlet, but the blonde didn't seem to mind so much to be so close to him.

"We don't have time to waste," whispered Minto angrily, "Luckily we were all able to get out during the same hours, let's take advantage of it."

The brown-haired boy frowned at the mewbird, that day she was particularly sourer than usual.

“What is it, you and Kisshu spent the night getting to know each other better, that you are so nervous?"

The mischievous tone did not in any way hide the sordid supposition, to which Kisshu and Minto responded at the same time by slaughtering Taruto with a glance.

“I’d rather become a nun."

From the transmitter came a peremptory cough and MoiMoi resumed:

“ _I’m_ _beginning to think that the fabulous angel is a human being to whom a drop of Mew Aqua has connected.”_

"It could," Minto mused, "We actually saw someone on the roof last night."

She turned to Kisshu – still busy slaying his little brother with his gaze – and he pondered:

“Yes... There was one person, I saw them briefly, but I'm sure they were a human being. Looked like a girl to me.”

At that statement Purin was intrigued:

"What was she like?"

Kisshu thought about it for a few minutes, striving to remember:

“A young girl... I think she had black hair, maybe short…” he half-mouthed, “I'm not sure, at that moment I was a little distracted.”

Minto ignored that last half-whispered sentence. Surely, he hadn't referred to her, or maybe he did, yes, but just to annoy her.

After that description Purin started agitatedly rummaging in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled photo:

"Did she look like this?"

The photo depicted a young girl in the Yakori’s middle school uniform, looking a little sad, with layered black hair. Kisshu studied it by turning it in his hands:

“Yes, it could be just her. Who is she?”

“A girl who was in our class. I heard about her today talking to some mates, and it seems that she's been missing for a few weeks.”

"More or less since the angel has popped up."

Was Zakuro's curt observation; Purin nodded convinced:

"The family reported her missing after a couple of days and her friends are distributing the photo around, that’s why I have one."

_ “ _ _ What if that little girl came into contact with the crystal? _ MoiMoi wondered, " _You_ _can handle it without any problems, but normal people may not; as a reaction, she has become a kind of strange creature…”_

“Anything can be, but we have no proof,” Ichigo sighed resignedly, "We should at least try to intercept her…”

“Well, they say she appears on the roof, but I haven't found anything,” Zakuro said, “I’ve searched it far and wide and, believe me, it was more than a desert.”

"But I'm sure there was someone last night, onee-sama."

_ “Maybe it only appears at certain times? _ ”

Ichigo felt a frosty shiver all along her spine:

“D-don’t talk ab-about it like that… it sounds  like an apparition! O-oor some-me-thing like that...”

"In fact… Maybe," Minto said in a low voice, joking, "What we saw was a presence…”

“M-M-M-M-M-Minto stop it!” the other cried, “ I know you're just making fun of me!”

The redhead tried to calm down when she felt a trickle of cold air tickling her neck: she let out an ear-piercing squeal and jumped to the other side, the bell on her black cat tail jingling.

“Kitty-cat, does it really scare you so much?”

She looked distraught at Kisshu, bent over double with laughter:

“It's not funny!” she muttered sadly, “You guys…! You're cruel!”.

"In any case," Zakuro said coldly, to quell that noise, "I don't think we have many other options than to follow this lead. I'd say for the moment we can just keep looking, hoping to find the angel.”

They looked at each other, no one very convinced, but since that one seemed the only good solution, they had to agree.

_ "Okay," _ MoiMoi said, “K _eep me updated, okay?_ _Ah, Kisshu-chan, Taruto-chan?_ ”

"Yes, senpai?

" _Keep_ _the transmitters within earshot,"_ she warned them, " _Th_ _e Major Council was meeting today, I think Teruga wants to communicate everything,”_

The earthlings saw the two boys exchange alarmed glances, but they didn't ask anything.

“Received,” was Kisshu's concise reply, “Let us know, MoiMoi.”

***

Zakuro finished climbing the stairs leading to the roof, sighing annoyedly, she had forgotten how irritating it was to roam around idling that way, looking for something and not finding it. Fortunately, she had not been annoyed by anyone in her research, neither students nor professors: in the face of her true disposition andher severe and ferocious air, people did not know how to behave and, usually, got scared and distanced themselves; during the morning, she even thought that a few girls had called her “a Yankee”.

_ I've reached my peak. The brilliant and impeccable Zakuro Fujiwara has been considered a thug. _ _ _

Not that she cared that much. She had found the trusted friends she needed years earlier, and in any case, she had no problem spending time alone; she felt more comfortable that way. Better that, however, than spending hours among people who could only misinterpret her or deluded themselves they could understand her, when they couldn’t even make the effort.

She pushed the panic handle of the rusty door opening onto the roof and was hit by a gust of hot air that smelled of pollen; the low hum of the air conditioner immediately became a comforting litany, short and guttural like the purr of a cat, and Zakuro sighed serenely, deeming it a noise a hundred times more pleasant than the clamor made by the mob of students, a floor below. She sat down on what she had designated as her favorite place, the tube of the air vent, and staid silently with her face resting on her arms and her eyes closed to hear the distant and muffled noises, the distant voices, the footsteps, the laughter.

Away from everything and everyone, a bit like she felt every day of her life, except for when she was at the Café: on a pedestal, where no one tried to get to.

“Are we taking a refreshing nap?”

Zakuro barely opened an eye, surprised, meeting two gray and blue ones that smiled kindly.

"Eyner."

Correction, in fact there was someone besides the girls who didn’t seem to care in the least about invading her territory. Although he did it very carefully, little by little and gently, like someone who has to get acquainted with a mordacious animal.

She, Zakuro, a mordacious animal. Yes, it could work as a comparison.

“I wasn’t sleeping,” she corrected him flatly, “I was just thinking a bit.”

"I thought you were taking an after-lunch shuteye.”

He justified himself. She looked at him without answering, she was hungry indeed, but she hadn't bought or brought anything that day; she had focused too much on looking for the crystal and had forgotten about it.

"I haven't had lunch yet."

She said with conceit.

"No pan today?"

"It would seem...”

She saw him flash another smile, but she felt like it cost him a lot. And it was true, Eyner was using much, very much self-control, wondering why the hell he was making such a gesture towards the cold and abrupt Zakuro.

_ At the very least, she’ll laugh in my face. _ _ _

"If you were hungry,” Zakuro watched him rummage through a curious rough canvas bag, “Would you like it?”

Without understanding, she studied him handing her a metal box that she opened, ending up overwhelmed by an inviting scent of food and she suddenly realized she was dying of hunger. She looked up at Eyner, his face tensed, and an inquisitor smile appeared on her lips:

"For me?"

“Uh? Y-yes, I mean, no!” he laughed nervously, “I remembered what you said yesterday, so when I prepared food... I just made one more portion.”

That is, he had prepared some for her too, said in other terms. Zakuro could not avoid smiling slightly for a second, but said nothing. She finished opening the box – a mute sign that she was accepting the offer of food – and sat straighter at her little place, imitated by Eyner who sat on the floor as the day before. The unexpected lunch consisted of something not dissimilar to rough, cinnamon-colored spaghetti, dressed in a thick sauce with bits of meat and vegetables; it smelled of embers and spices and had a full-bodied and succulent texture; it tasted of home.

Zakuro swallowed a morsel and stopped. Seeing her, Eyner felt quite uncomfortable and muttered:

“Don't feel obligated, if y-“

“No.”

She stopped him. She lifted the box up to her face and Eyner could swear he saw her smile:

“It's just a little... Weird,” she said, with a pinch of nostalgia, "I don't know how long it’s been since I’ve eaten something homemade.”

She turned to the boy and he slightly opened his eyes wide in amazement; no, he hadn’t dreamed, Zakuro had really smiled at him:

"Thank you.”

There. 

By now, it was done.

He was over, gone. Lost. Completely screwed.

That slight smile had been enough for his heart to jump up his throat. He felt stupid, because that's how he was acting, like a stupid kid... He was losing his mind for the most inaccessible girl on Earth, maybe in the whole galaxy.

“… You’re welcome…”

It was the only thing he could say, before bowing his head so that, at least, she wouldn't see him smiling happily like an idiot.

***

The day passed fast and soon the evening came, with a small full moon and dozens of stars popping up in a darker and darker sky. Ichigo felt exhausted, they had scoured every damned inch of that school, but they hadn’t found anything, and she would also be on the night patrol; moreover, she hadn't even heard a little from Masaya all day, nor had she had had a chance to see him. She looked miserably at her watch, ten o'clock in the evening, at that hour Masaya was finishing his homework and so he had turned off his cellphone... But she could at least send him a text.

_ Hello Masaya, how’s your homework going ^w^? I hope everything’s alright; I miss you very much.  _ _ _

_ Goodnight  _ _ ♥ _ _ _

She put away the cellphone away and sighed, looking around while waiting for Retasu and Eyner. Since they seemed so close to tracking down the Mew Aqua drop, they had decided to send the two girls at a time, so they could properly deal with an emergency while waiting for their companions. Ichigo played a few more moments with a pebble at her feet and finally she heard the muffled noise of teleportation, seeing the boy landing gently with the mewporpoise.

"Thank you for the lift."

"No problem.”

“I'm sorry, I've made everyone late,” Retasu bowed, “But my parents would find it strange if I didn’t stop by home even after the school was closed.”

"Don’t worry," Ichigo said, "The important thing is that you're here now."

The green looked at her surprises and saw the redhead clutching her hands, her eyes shining with frightened tears:

"I'm shaking at the thought of Minto being here tonight...!” she whined with gratitude, “I'm already terrified of thinking what we might find, had she been here, I would have died of a heart attack!”

“I-Ichigo... “

For a couple of hours they searched the school again, focusing on the roof, without detecting anything important; Eyner and Retasu walked peacefully, while Ichigo kept her fist on her mouth, walking uncertainly and trembling, the other hand clung to her friend's skirt in the ugly imitation of a three-year-old.

“What if it turns out that she’s really a ghost and she curses us?!”

She cried. Eyner looked at her sighing:

“Ichigo, don't you think you're exaggerating?”

She shook her head; it was useless to argue over someone's phobias.

“Come on. There's nothing that...”

“What?” she squealed, terrified, “Nothing what?”

Eyner did not respond, but he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out MoiMoi's transmitter; he touched it with the tip of his index finger and it buzzed, almost appearing like a real living thing, all covered by that fuzz.

_ “Eyn-chan? _ ”

“What's going on, senpai?”

_ “You  _ _ and the boys have to come here right now! _ _It’s madness here!”_

Her tone was frantic, her voice was broken by anger, and Eyner frowned without interrupting her.

_ “ _ _ Ebode has convened an extraordinary Council meeting and is saying a lot of nonsense about the Ancestrals and...! And...! _ ”

"MoiMoi, calm down!"

“ _Like hell!”_ she blurted, _Oh,_ _Eyn-chan, please! And the others...!_ _Come now, Councilman Teruga can no longer keep the Council calm!”_

"Senpai, I am with Ichigo and Retasu, I cannot leave them alone."

“Don't worry Eyner-san.”

Retasu, alarmed by MoiMoi's tone, touched his arm and looked at him stern:

"We can manage very well on our own.”

_ “No, it's dangerous; we don't know if anyone has already traced the crystal drop,”  _ MoiMoi retorted gravely , “ _Give me some time and I will get there_ _._ _Eyner, you must be here! You know it's you they want to talk with!”_

Eyner still didn't seem convinced, but the two girls insisted.

"It seems really important," said Ichigo, "Please go, Eyner-san, we can get by for ten minutes."

Eyner thought about it for a few more seconds and then nodded.

_ “Be  _ _ careful, I'll be right there!” _

It was the last sound of MoiMoi's metallic voice before Eyner vanished. Now alone, Ichigo tried to erase the fear that still made her knees tremble, and straightened her back:

"We must find the drop," she said worriedly, "And quickly."

Retasu nodded:

"Let's call the girls."

Waiting for their friends and MoiMoi, Ichigo and Retasu began sifting through the roof in an increasingly frantic manner. The redhead couldn't shake the worry for the communication between MoiMoi and Eyner, a worry that was clenching her stomach far more than her fear of ghosts. She dreaded that something was going on, on the other side, and that worried her; she had not forgotten Teruga's words: someone on the alien planet had not been too pleased that Earth had remained in the hands of the humans and supported – publicly or not, this she didn’t know – the infamous Ancestrals, possible new versions of Deep Blue.

A tremor went up her throat.

"Retasu, did you see anything?"

"Nothing at all!” the green groaned, “There’s nothing and no one.” 

Ichigo bit her lower lip, could their theory be completely wrong?

She stopped suddenly, hearing the squeaking of a door. She and Retasu hid behind a wall and peeked out: someone, perhaps a girl judging by the little clothing they could distinguish, had come out of the stairs entrance and was advancing towards the railing; the figure walked with her back straight and her arms along her sides, eyes fixed in front, putting forward one foot at a time with immense slowness. They saw her stop right in front of the railing, standing still, looking at the void, her short dark hair swaying in the night breeze, and when a moon flare brightened her profile for a few moments, Retasu jolted:

“ It's her!” she whispered excited, “The missing girl!" 

“It's true. What’s she doing here in the middle of the night?” Ichigo crouched behind the wall with her friend, “It is obvious that she’s not hiding here at school, we would have found her.”

"Therefore, she must come here at night."

“But why?”

They heard a rustle and turned scared, spotting their friends who, already transformed, had climbed with a single leap on the roof; the mewneko immediately motioned them to hide and they obeyed her, confused. 

"Good," sighed the redhead, "She doesn't seem to have noticed us."

"But that...!"

"Exactly her, Purin."

“And how long has she been standing there?”

Minto asked; Retasu tried to count:

"I think just about five minutes…”

“I don't think she can see us,” Zakuro said flat, “I don't think she's even aware of where she is.”

The others looked at her without understanding.

“Ichigo, Retasu, transform yourselves. I don't know what could happen.”

The mewwolf pulled herself to her feet and in a firm voice called:

"Hey!"

Her friends looked at her alarmed, but despite Zakuro's tone the little girl did not move. The brunette's eyes were reduced to two slits and they saw her catch her breath, calling again:

“Hey! Are you the Angel?!”

At that sentence, the little girl seemed to wake up and turned slowly towards her; they watched her smile, her eyes glowing with a strange spark and speaking in a low voice that, clearly, was not entirely human:

“Who calls for me?”

More than a voice, a flicker; a rustling of grass, something light and murmuring. On the chest of the little girl, where usually the uniform’s bow rested, a pulsating droplet of iridescent light, no bigger than a walnut, was gravitating. Ichigo, transformed, jolted at the sight, and for a second, both hers and her companions’ bodies shone all over of a faint blue glow.

_ We found it! _ _ _

“Who calls for me?”

The Angel repeated. Ichigo gained courage and stepped forward with a determined air:

"We are the MewMew!"

She shouted loudly, almost to give herself more strength in that absurd situation, than as true intimidation:

"You have to give us back the Mew Aqua, for your own good!"

The Angel looked at them – or better, she seemed to look at them, it was difficult to understand – and she appeared confused:

"You have nothing to ask the Angel for?"

“Just one thing,”  Ichigo insisted, “The one you wear around your neck.”

The Angel did not appreciate the request. At first, she brought her hand to her chest, to cover the vibrating drop, then frowned and in a firmer voice boomed:

“No.”

There was an explosion of energy and the five girls almost got thrown off the roof, holding on by pure miracle. In that very strong wind, Ichigo saw the Angel exactly where she was before, motionless, sparkling with white, her fists clenched on her legs; the Mew Aqua drop was pulsating rapidly, but the little girl who was wearing it seemed in pain.

"She's hurt..."

Said Retasu, the voice covered by the din.

"We’ll be hurting if she doesn't stop!"

Purin yelled in response. Minto clung to the wall of the middle school entrance as not to be pushed away:

"I think the energy of the Mew Aqua is too much for her," she said with one hand on her mouth to be able to breathe, "Do you remember what MoiMoi said?"

"Don't tell me that now maybe she’ll really turn into an angel!"

"I don't think so, Retasu," Zakuro replied, trying to keep her aplomb, "But I don't know what could happen to her! We have to take that drop off her!”

"And how do we do it?!” the mewporpoise cried, “We can't get close!”

There was another wave of energy and Ichigo retreated, stumbling on a step. She got up, aching, trying not to fall to the strength of the crystal and hearing in the dull rumble the thin jingling of her bell as she moved her tail.

She had an idea, what if…

_ “Mew _ _Strawberry Bell!_ ”

“Ichigo, what...?!”

"Let me do it, Minto!"

The mewneko seized the bell and put it in front of her; suddenly the energy waves bounced back and began to break against the weapon as if on an invisible barrier.

"Ichigo nee-chan!"

"Unbelievable...” Minto exclaimed, "Ichigo, you are a genius!"

"You’re sounding quite baffled…”

Ichigo retorted with a grin. The other smiled triumphantly, drew her bow and stood beside the redhead, followed by the others:

_ “Mint Arrow! _ ”

_ "Retasu Castanets!" _

_ “Purin Ring! _ ”

_ “Zakuro Whip! _ ”

They may not have been able to stop the power of the Mew Aqua, but in that way they could advance. The formation created a compact shield and began to proceed towards the Angel, who was always still in the same spot.

"We must go closer to her! "Ichigo shouted loudly over the noise, “We need to separate her from the Mew Aqua!”

“Ichigo, the idea of weapons was good, but I don't think they can help us in that too!” said Retasu, "She’s not a chimera!”

"In the meantime, let's get to her!"

With a leap, Minto stepped further and opened the way a little more, the others immediately behind and with effort, one step at a time, they arrived in front of the Angel; Ichigo wanted to find a plan, but the girl's suffering expression erased any good intention to act rationally.

"On my three," she yelled, "Move away!"

"What?"

"Ichigo are you crazy?"

"Open the way!” she insisted, “From here I can reach her with a jump!”

She sought support in Zakuro; the model looked at her an instant in silence and nodded:

"On three.”

"Ready!"

“I'm not convinced, but... One!”

“T-two!

_ “Three!” _

The four girls moved away suddenly and Ichigo leaped forward with her bell stretched in front of her, pushing with all the strength she had. The contrast with the Mew Aqua flows was incredible, but continuing to push, floating as if swimming, she saw the little girl getting closer and closer... She just had to stretch her arm and she'd grab her...

"Now I'll get you!”

Her hand closed tightly on the girl’s wrist, and the Mew Aqua sent another mighty glow; Ichigo closed her eyes without letting go of the girl and after a few, endless seconds, she could see her again, unconscious,with the crystal drop that swirled weakly around her.

"I've go-!”

Her blood ran cold when she realized that they both had gone beyond the railing.

_ “ICHIGO!” _

The mewneko instinctively held the fainted girl close and plummeted like dead weight, her own screams and her friends’ in her ears; she thought she saw Minto flying behind her, but she was falling too fast. And the sidewalk was getting closer and closer...

"Ichigo!"

A scream very close to her ear, not Minto's voice, and someone who hugged her and stopped her fall, gliding gently to the ground.

“What are you doing?!”

"M-MoiMoi!"

Ichigo put her feet on the ground and let herself fall on her knees, looking full of gratitude at the alien, who instead had a sulky face. Whatever insult she wanted to throw at the redhead, she did not have time to say it: the drop of Mew Aqua, like a firefly disturbed while on its placid flutter, had started to shake and move more and more irregularly.

"Shoot...!”

MoiMoi rummaged nervously in the pockets of her skirt:

"Quickly! Girls, jump down! Ichigo, your weapon, get it!”

Only then did the girl realize that she had let go of her bell, which lay next to her leg; intimidated by the alien’s tone, she grabbed it with both hands and immediately the others, landed in sync, imitated her. They clearly sensed their powers reverberating to an unknown lure, and the Mew Aqua calmed down, rotating more slowly.

"Found it!"

Triumphantly, MoiMoi squeezed a tiny transparent vial between her fingers and turned it towards the drop, which immediately entered it, magnetized by the object. As soon as it was safe behind the glass, the girls slumped to the ground exhausted, looking dazed at the bottle that MoiMoi closed and that, at that moment, looked like a small, intermittent flashlight.

“Uff, luckily I made it on time,” MoiMoi sighed, only to turn sternly towards Ichigo, “But what were you thinking?! Did you want to turn to mush?!”

"Sorry," Ichigo smiled weakly, "I hadn’t realized we had gone over the roof."

She stretched and, given how tiny the alien was, she managed to grab her by the neck and hug her without too much trouble:

"Thank you.”

MoiMoi reciprocated the squeeze, a little uncomfortable, but smiled.

“And... Damn, how did you do that?!” the redhead asked admiringly, “The crystal! How…?”

The alien smiled satisfied and twirled the bottle like it was a revolver:

“Synthetic material made by Pai-chan based on your weapons.”

“What?!”

“Pai-chan had a lot of data on you.”

She smiled candidly. Ichigo grimaced offended.

“It seems that not only your bodies, but also your attacks and weapons react to the closeness of the crystal... And vice versa. Who had the brilliant intuition?”

"It's hard to believe, but it was Ichigo."

“Thank you, Minto, always a kind word...”

"You were great!"

MoiMoi encouraged her, and leaned over the still unconscious black-haired girl, lying on the ground with her head on Ichigo's thigh:

“It seems that the crystal had joined her, but her body was not able to absorb it completely; she unconsciously unleashed its power, but she was also subject to the reflected wave... I don't know how long she could have resisted.”

“But why did she react to us?”

“ It's all based on your modified DNA, Retasu-chan. The strength that comes from the animals with which you are fused is the same as the crystal’s,” she lifted the vial and looked at it thoughtfully, “To be honest it's a little long to explain, and I still have to check one thing...”

She pointed to the little girl:

"I think it's better to take care of her first, she seems to be coming back."

That said, they all saw the little black-haired girl open her eyes and starting to look around confused:

"You... You're the... MewMew?”

They nodded; MoiMoi gave way to the earthlings and crouched down behind them, while Ichigo smiled kindly:

“Are you okay?”

“Yes... But how... Where am I...? Why am I at school...?”

“Don't you remember?” Retasu asked her, "You've been missing for days.”

She shook her head:

"I... I... The last thing I remember... I was getting on the roof,” she muttered, “School had just started and… And I was down because I wasn't... I wasn’t able to take off. I wanted to get stronger, because I wanted to get better... Then I saw a very strong light...”

The girls around her looked at each other without a word.

"And all of a sudden, I felt so full of energy, I could do everything! Then...” she pressed her hands on her temples hard, “I don't remember...”

“That's what must have happened,” MoiMoi whispered, "The drop radiated energy from within her, but being a common human, she could not handle it, so gradually she lost control.”

Zakuro nodded and added:

"She probably came unconsciously to the last place she remembered, someone saw her and, having received some of the benefit of the crystal, they must have come up with the story of the Angel, and she was influenced."

"Don't you really remember anything else?"

Ichigo insisted gently; the little girl pressed her palms on her forehead, striving to remember:

“It seems to me... that I have walked, so much... I remember stopping to eat once in a while, but it's all so confusing...”

"That would explain why we never found her around here," Purin said, “But why roam around?"

MoiMoi frowned:

“Mmm... Then maybe that's true, too.”

"What are you talking about?"

Minto asked her worried.

“Principles of physics and chemistry,” she nodded as if to say that she would explain better later, “But for now I can tell you that the drop tried to return to the original crystal through this little girl.”

“What do you mean? The Mew Aqua isn’t alive, it’s just a stone that accumulates energy.”

"Yeah…”

The mewbird still looked confused, but MoiMoi didn’t add anything else.

“Well, it doesn't matter now,” Zakuro said, "We recovered the crystal and saved a girl. I would say that, as today’s evaluation, that’s great.”

She approached the little brunette and helped her get up, along with Retasu:

"We’ll take her to the nearest police station, so they can take her back to her parents,” she said authoritative, “We’ll come back right away.”

She put the girl over her shoulders and quickly disappeared on the horizon followed by the mewporpoise. Their companions took another deep breath, relaxing completely and finding themselves to be more than exhausted, more than if they had fought an army of chimeras. MoiMoi chuckled cheerfully:

"You were great! As soon as the girls come back, we'll celebrate! Along with the others, of course... Even if they don't deserve it, they haven’t done a damn thing!”

“I don't think Pai onii-san has a feel for parties. And neither does Sando-san.”

“Ah, forget them, Purin!” she insisted, “They will have to adapt. Thanks to this droplet, other paths will open for all the others and...”

She stopped suddenly, frowning. The three girls studied her without understanding, until their instincts led them to look up.

There was a dark silhouette above their heads. In seeing it, MoiMoi took on a ferocious expression.

“ Looks like I’m on time, huh? " they heard a male voice laughing, “I was just looking for a drop of Mew Aqua, I felt a bit weak this morning.”

He was undoubtedly an alien, with that diaphanous skin and typical ears, but his eyes were deep blue, and the hair was a beautiful wheat blond, with the tips shot in every direction. He was wearing something like a strange uniform that, in Ichigo’s mind, brought back the image of Ao No Kishi: a large sleeveless greatcoat with long tails, under which a tight sleeveless shirt left his stomach uncovered, short blue shorts and a pair of blue ankle boots.

_ One of the Four Ancestrals! _ _ _

Ichigo shivered when the boy gave her a cruel grin, but she noticed that he wasn’t looking at her.

“How long, senpai,” he said cheerful, “Always the same disgusting look, eh?”

MoiMoi responded with a surly glance, interposing between him and the girls:

“You instead have worsened, in terms of style, Zizi.”

She pushed Ichigo back, whispering:

“ Don't get mixed up with this guy, Ichigo-chan. Nor you guys.”

The mewneko retreated a little uneasy, being shocked when she saw a gigantic hammer appearing in MoiMoi's hand: the long handle, which almost reached her forehead, must have had a circumference of ten centimeters and the square head was the size of her chest. MoiMoi turned a moment to the three girls and looked up again:

“ Don't intervene. I’m enough for him.”

“Do you want to fight with me, senpai?” he teased her, “A sweet, delicate and fragile flower like you?”

The blond dodged just in time a blow of the huge weapon, aimed at his head; MoiMoi sneered:

“You can bet on it.”

Ichigo looked alarmed at them swirling over her, with her friend spinning the huge bat as if it had been a twig. The redhead and her companions did not move a muscle, disoriented, noticing only at the last moment the return of Retasu and Zakuro.

“ What's going on?!”

Retasu cried, then muffled a shriek as MoiMoi bent over his back and avoided a knee to her face.

The mewwolf, by her side, hardened her gaze following Zizi's movements:

“Is that…?”

The question seemed to suddenly wake up Purin, who frowned and brandished her tambourines, not at all willing to stand aside:

"We must help her now!"

Without waiting for contrary opinions, she jumped aiming at the boy:

_ “Ribbon…!” _

“Purin _no!_ ”

Before MoiMoi could intervene, Zizi had already swerved from her trajectory and had launched himself at crazy speed against the blonde, centering her in the stomach with a right:

“You mind your business, you mutant freak!”

The mewmonkey fell down like a dead weight and was grabbed on the fly by her companions, accompanied by the vulgar laugh of the blond. He gloated for a few seconds, because MoiMoi did not fail to reciprocate his lightness and he was crushed by more than fifty kilos of stone straight into the side, plummeting among the canopies of the trees nearby.

"Purin!"

Ignoring the fate of her opponent, MoiMoi landed at once and joined the other girls, already around the blonde, who was kneeling and puking on the grass.

"Please tell me you're okay!"

MoiMoi moaned again, ditching her hammer.

“ I'm... okay…” the little girl gasped, “He just got me… goood.”

The other offered a smile of relief and grabbed the hammer again, hearing Zizi's drawled voice shouting imprecations.

“ I told you, don't intervene anymore!” she took the little flask with the drop of Mew Aqua and gave it to Ichigo, “Be ready if you were to defend yourselves, but I fight with him!”

She turned and tried to hide her concern as best as she could. She wasn’t sure she could be able to protect the girls, but they could not face Zizi at that time, they were tired, and it would be a suicide.

“Fuck, senpai, you're an asshole!” Zizi barked, popping out covered in leaves, "You've broken at least fourteen ribs, you bastard!”

"Unfortunately, not. If I had, you wouldn't be here blabbing, brat.” 

Zizi put on a crazy smile and two brass knuckles appeared in his hands:

"Now I'll show you...! Such a…!” 

The two resumed wrestling in the air with more fury. Although Zizi's weapon seemed so insignificant compared to MoiMoi's hammer, the blond could stop her blows with equal and maybe greater strength, soon putting the opponent in the corner.

Zizi hit the hammer head with another punch, forcing MoiMoi to draw back.

“You’ve pissed me off, senpai.”

The boy clenched his fists; the metal on his knuckles began to shine and he stretched out his arms suddenly to pull a direct double: a beam of light was emanated for a couple of seconds, hitting MoiMoi in full and making her crash against the school wall. 

"MoiMoi!"

The five frightened earthlings approached the rubble, looking for signs of the alien and continuing to call her, much to Zizi's annoyance; he didn’t seem to like that their cries were overpowering his triumphant laughter:

"How much do you guys squeal!” he shouted, “I swear that as soon as I'm done with the reversed senpai, I'll cut off all your tong…”

_ “ _ _ Hama Do Sen! _ ”

Out of nowhere a column of dark soil pranced up into the air, hitting Zizi square in the face and almost causing him to plunge down. The MewMew looked at the scene wide-eyed, spotting MoiMoi coming out of the small pile of debris holding on to the handle of the hammer like a crutch.

“MoiMoi! Oh, thank…!”

Ichigo lovingly made to run to meet her, but she froze at seeing her and slowly lowered her arms, stunned at what she saw:

“But you...”

MoiMoi's clothes had been severely damaged in the impact; but if the shoes had more holes than a slice of cheese and the skirt had become quite _mini_ , the upper part of her garments had completely disintegrated, showing off what, surely, was not a female body.

“… you are a boy?”

Ichigo's whisper couldn’t hide from MoiMoi’s sensitive hearing, who at first tried to instinctively cover his chest with his free arm, but then lowered his hand slowly and bowed his head with a sad air:

“Yup.”

He didn’t have the strength to check whether the redhead’s gaze was only surprised, disgusted or disappointed:

"Sorry.”

A groan was heard followed by yet another long series of insults, only in a slightly more nasal voice:

“Fucking shitty faggot… You almost broke my jaw! And my nose, my perfect nose, you asshole!” 

MoiMoi didn't even seem to listen to him and moved on again, standing between him and the girls:

"Don't worry.”

His voice trembled as he signaled to stand back, without ever turning:

"I’ll send him home now.”

He lifted the hammer with both hands and carried it in front, turning it like a key in a lock. Other columns of soil, smaller, but better defined and more numerous, bolted towards Zizi, forcing him to face the huge rocky snakes that tried to injure or immobilize him; the alien was screaming with rage, wiping when he could the incessant trickles of blood pouring from his nose, lip and split eyebrow:

"Shit, shit, shit!” he smashed two snakes with one punch, “Don't be a coward and come here, senpai, you fucking pantywaist.”

MoiMoi raised his hand and the ground reptiles all converged towards Zizi, ready to pierce him, but they were too slow: with a somersault at the last moment, the boy thwarted the attack and the snakes crashed into each other, disintegrating, and Zizi promptly launched himself towards the enemies with a furious air.

He was just a couple of meters from MoiMoi when something blocked him by the ankle, causing him to bite his tongue for the backlash; he spat out another couple of profanities and turned around furiously, only to pale suddenly, while MoiMoi smiled relieved. 

"Oh fuck…!”

"Sando!"

He had sprung up so out of nowhere that it seemed he had been summoned by his friend just a second before. Sando's mighty figure stood out against the grayish glow of dawn, menacing and looming like a dark cloud.

Zizi spun round with a frightened whine, his eyes wide at that view and at the sight of the huge knobby branch that was tightening more and more around his leg; he tried to wriggle out, but his fist bounced against the wood like on foam rubber. The vegetal creature flicked like a fish, creaked and with a jerk pulled him back, straight into the arms of the other alien, who immediately did the honors of finishing MoiMoi’s work and, probably, completely breaking the blonde’s nose with a tremendous hook. Zizi staggered back groaning and Sando summoned other branches and lianas, which freed the boy's leg and tightened around his neck.

The Ancestral moaned with terror and cursed again through his teeth, but Sando didn’t have the slightest surge of compassion and continued to look at him harshly:

“Bad idea, coming here alone, kid.”

The girls saw Zizi swinging his legs convulsively as he tried in vain to loosen the crush on his throat, squinting more and more and becoming cyanotic.

"S-Sando-san!"

On impulse, Retasu called the alien, terrified at that sight, but Sando didn’t pay her any attention, and she covered her face with her hands, horrified at the thought of being about to see someone die.

But Zizi was not of the idea of passing so quickly and, without knowing what to do, struck with the attack that had hit MoiMoi the lianas on his neck: the shockwave hit him as well, but didn’t seem to hurt him as the branches dissolved and he could resume breathing. Panting, bug-eyed and teared up, he allowed himself only a second to look at Sando with hatred, and then he disappeared before having to face for a second more the green-haired man.

The girls took a breath, almost as if they hadn’t breathed since the beginning of the fight, dissolving the transformations, and Sando landed near them without ever stopping to look at the point where Zizi had vanished. In meeting his profile, Ichigo remembered MoiMoi and worriedly turned to him: the alien was facing the wall, clearly uncomfortable, and the redhead noticed that his gaze was constantly darting towards Sando, causing him to curl up even more.

“MoiMoi...”

“I'm sorry… Ichigo-chan,” he said to her in a low voice, "And you girls too. It's not like... I didn't want to tell you. But, well…”

He heard the redhead reach him, now she was about ten centimeters from his back; he lowered the voice of another tone:

"I... I'm not ashamed of who I am. I was born male, but I always felt like a girl, and the others know it too, everyone always knew, and I never hid it. When I met you, you… I knew you really mistook me for a girl, and I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but... The more time went by, the more complicated it got, and eventually I got scared, because I was afraid you thought I wanted to hide it.”

He heard a rustling of clothes and barely turned, intrigued, ending up with his head in the pullover of Ichigo's uniform. He looked at her in a disbelief as she placed the garment on him and helped him get into the sleeves:

"It might have happened because you were defending us,” Ichigo reproached him, smiling, “But a girl should not go around like that! Come on, I’ll lend you this until you can change your clothes.”

“Ichigo...”

“It must have been hard, huh?” Zakuro asked kindly "I can understand that.”

“Don't worry,” Ichigo smiled again, “Male or female, MoiMoi is MoiMoi. A friend.”

They saw him widening his golden eyes and pointing at himself, as if he wasn’t sure of what he was hearing:

"Me..."?

"Of course!"

Purin exclaimed, jumping at his neck; Minto and Retasu smiled:

"And how else could we define you?"

"Among the most precious friends we have!”

“You've worked so hard for us so far! And you've been so caring, especially with me...” the mewneko smiled at him, “I couldn’t consider you anything but a friend.”

MoiMoi saw that all the girls were smiling at him and almost teared up:

"Girls...”

He met Sando's gaze for an instant, who winked with a comforting air; MoiMoi then rubbed an arm over his face and smiled broadly, over the moon:

“Thank you very much!”

The others smiled and MoiMoi resumed his cheerful attitude, whistling while he fixed the redhead's sweater.

“But it's not fair!” Purin blurted out in a childlike tone, "You're a boy and you're prettier than me!”

“That’s so stupid!” MoiMoi laughed, squeezing her, "Look at you, how cute you are!”

The little group laughed, causing a certain annoyance to Sando who approached MoiMoi with a very exasperated air:

“MoiMoi, shouldn’t we go back? You found the crystal, didn't you?”

The other did not listen to him, continuing to speak quietly.

"Ohi."

But MoiMoi continued to chuckle foolishly with the mewmonkey without considering the man. On the third unsuccessful call, the girls saw him become livid, grab MoiMoi by the neck with an elbow and starting to rub his knuckles on his head:

“Can you listen to me when I talk, you brainy head?”

_ "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! _ Sando, stop it!”

“Not if you don't apologize, ugly!

"Me ugly?!” MoiMoi started biting for fun the arm with which he was squeezing her, laughing even though he kept complaining, “Says the bearded gorilla.”

The earthlings watched the scene speechless; it was like watching two children playing pranks on each other.

"Oh my God," Minto muttered, "So this is Sando-san's true disposition?"

“What a disappointment! Purin thought he was much _cooler...!_ ”

"As they say, appearance deceives.”

Concluded Retasu with a sigh. To those comments Sando stiffened and looked at them annoyed, evidently that was not the impression he wanted to give.

“See, Ichigo-chan?” MoiMoi laughed, freeing himself from his grip," I told you so.”

“Said what?” the other man grumbled “What the hell do you go about saying about me?"

MoiMoi reflected on it theatrically and pointed his finger at his lips:

"That you're so cool?"

“… idiot.”

It was the only comment he could give before turning his back at him, irritated. The other alien snorted and put his hands on his hips:

"Anyway…. I mean, thanks for the help, but what are you doing here? Weren't you at the Council meeting?”

The girls clearly saw Sando jolting:

“It's with the others they want to talk”, he justified himself slowly, "Eyner came and said that they had almost found the drop and that you would go to them.”

MoiMoi was silent for a second:

“Did you worry?”

The other looked at him, frowned and embarrassed at the same time:

"Obviously, you fool, you're capable of getting killed!"

He mumbled something unintelligible and walked away, signaling to the group to start moving; the girls obeyed, noticing MoiMoi's toothy grin.

“Well, then, are you coming?” Sando blurted again, "Let's bring that blessed drop home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I wrote at the beginning of the story, MoiMoi (at least from birth) is a boy, but she and all the characters around her address her and consider her for what she is, that is, a girl. The author included ❤  
> However, during the first writing of Crossing (for mere plot reasons) I kept in the all-knowing narration the masculine terms, so not to have readers "lose their focus" on this detail.  
> But she's a girl ❤ Don't forget it ❤


	7. Chapter 07 – Again on the center of crossing - The Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silence. The anger, agitation and vehemence she had put into her words had taken her breath away and were making her heart buzz in her ears, but she was certain that she had asserted herself and helped the boys’ cause.  
> “Kitty cat… I love you, but I have to tell you... Sometimes you're an idiot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a while from my last post, isn’t it? ^^”“ I was a little busy with work and I can’t give so much time at my personal blog or fanfics & sketchs T_T  
> Now I hope I will can ❤  
> Meanwhile my dera friend Hypnotic still translated chapter after chapter, so let's procede ❤

They crossed the passage when the sun was already rising, finding themselves in a crisp and clean new dawn. Sando and MoiMoi preceded the earthlings with a quick pace and headed to the laboratory without a word; they rushed in and beckoned the girls to follow them, then went down to the room where they had first met Teruga, passed it and turned left; beyond the arch of a door, they entered a long and narrow corridor, half submerged in darkness, and without slowing down they walked it entirely within a couple of minutes. The group remained silent and could feel the distant buzz of the squares and streets beyond the bare walls: the corridor had to be just below the surface of the road and run along the market, because for almost the entire journey they heard distinctly steps of all kinds echoing around them until, little by little, every noise began to slowly fade out until completely disappearing. The five girls looked around trying to figure out where they were, but only spotted the end of the hallway. 

In front of them there was a small door, with only a tiny hole without a knob. At that point, Sando rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small golden handle, wedged it with a slight metallic snap in the opening and unlocked the door, though which he managed to pass only by bending over. The man stood straight on the other side, let the whole group in and then closed the lock with a sharp iron noise and, as he did so, Ichigo realized that he also took the handle away, leaving the door without any system to open it from their side. She didn't think to ask and didn't have the time, because the two aliens immediately resumed their advance with increasingly worried expressions.

The passage had taken them to a building that, compared to the laboratory from which they had departed, seemed to belong to another world.

Tall, light walls rose smoothly like tiles and then gently curved five meters above their heads; a smooth floor was cut through by wide rays of sunshine, coming from the very tall ogival windows with pastel colored glass and an elegant but simple appearance; there was no sound around them except for their quick gait,echoing as in a deserted cathedral.

"I don't like this place."

Zakuro laconically whispered, looking around with the wariness of an animal in unknown territory; Ichigo could only agree. She had the impression that she was walking down corridors where she should never have been and where she was not well accepted, corridors that, however quiet, were dangerous.

After a few minutes, they heard a dull murmur that escalated suddenly, turning into an astounding cackle: dozens of voices rumbled low from behind a thick door and none of them was too peaceful. The five MewMew exchanged glances, nervous at the idea of having to enter, but Sando and MoiMoi passed the threshold and reached another door in a not-so-distant corner. The man opened it and the girls were hit by a wave of din: beyond the entrance there was a miniscule passage and at the end a much larger and very crowded environment. MoiMoi signaled them to stay quiet and invited them to enter cautiously, stopping just before reaching the hall.

They stood at the end of a semi-circular room, behind the three Ikisatashi brothers and Eyner. Standing next to one other, straight as statues and their faces tensed, the four were facing five rows of seats placed along the round wall, each consisting of five chairs except for the middle row, which had six; on either side of the lower row, four soldiers stood immobile ready to intervene in case of emergency and among them Ichigo was struck by the second to the right, a man in his fifties with dark indigo hair.

_ Why do I feel like I've seen him before...? _ _ _

She soon forgot about him, returning her focus on the rest of those present. Thirty-one aliens, men and women, in white robes and surly faces alternated heavy silences with angry mutterings as a choir to one of them, standing on the right of the second row: he was a man not too old but with a wasted and malignant air, which gave him a withered appearance; he had small, elongated eyes of an icy stone grey, and the smoke-black hair was combed over his head until it became an integral part of the skull, descending into two curls down on the sharp jaw. He must have just said something that the rest of the audience had not appreciated given the murmur it had created, but the chaos had to satisfy him because he wouldn’t stop smiling smugly. The earthlings noticed only a few people who weren’t talking – among whom they recognized Teruga, almost in the middle on the top row – but the others did nothing but gesticulate and stress out, unceremoniously pointing at the four standing boys who, evidently, were the subject of the debate.

The grey-eyed man nodded to the audience and restored calm, returning to look in front of him: Taruto held up his stare with a grim air exactly like Kisshu, even if his expression tended more to murderous, Pai as always inscrutable, Eyner serious and composed; their faces seemed to further amuse the man who curled his thin lips into a fake smile.

“There, there, you don't have to be so serious!” he joked, “Understand us, Councilman Teruga's statements have puzzled us... Do you confirm everything he said?”

And he stretched a sharp-nailed finger towards the eldest Councilman; he did not move a muscle, but remained straight and impassive, looking at the other man serenely.

“You’re asking us as if we were on trial, Councilman Ebode.”

Kisshu pinpointed coldly. No one told him anything – although Pai would have gladly fried him with a lightning bolt, judging by the glance he threw him – and Kisshu remained indifferent even when Eyner nudged him discreetly with his elbow between the fourth and fifth rib, making him exhale just an imperceptible groan. Ebode did not appreciate the sarcasm and his face trembled with irritation, but he merely smiled:

“We are only asking you for confirmation, as persons directly concerned,” he theatrically outstretched an arm, pointing to the rest of the Council, “Therefore, do you confirm what Teruga said?”

"Yes, sir."

Pai said sharply before anyone else could comment.

"So do you confirm," Ebode began dramatically, "That you acted behind the Council’s back, that you conspired to seize our people’s only salvation together with dirty humans, guilty of marking the end of our lord Deep Blue?"

“ Deep Blue! It wasn’t…”

“Deep Blue-sama has dishonored the trust of his people and consequently ours,” Pai intervened, blocking Taruto's invective in the bud, “The events of our mission to Earth are already known to you.”

"Events that we must believe in on your word."

Ebode specified. His stone eyes glided toward Kisshu and the Councilman smiled malevolently, slightly showing his feral teeth:

“Rumors travel. It gets hard to believe that everything happened out of sheer duty to the motherland when you come to know certain details... Right, Captain?”

The hall roared with low confused murmurs. Kisshu didn’t respond to the insinuation and stood still, staring at him with hatred, probably biting his tongue so as not to insult him.

“And what makes you believe that the ‘details’ are truer than our report on those events?”

Pai asked again. Ebode didn’t hold back a giggle and answered venomously:

“It makes someone think,  Colonel; especially considering who Councilman Teruga has paired you with. Captain Luneilim...”

There were other mutterings and some mischievous remarks, accompanied by stifled snickers; the girls saw MoiMoi stiffen as he clutched the flaps of his sleeves, with Sando behind him taking on a furious expression.

"Without forgetting Colonel Okorene and the here present...” Ebode suspended the sentence, implying something that the earthlings didn’t catch like the others, but which couldn’t be very kind, “Captain Toruke.”

Whatever he hadn't said was something too much, because an internal conflict erupted between the Councilmen; from the few words the girls could grasp, not everyone liked the allusions about Sando and Eyner and defended them energetically and even too passionately.

It took five minutes for the situation to calm down enough for Ebode to speak. He had realized that he had ruined the atmosphere of mistrust created with such care, but he did not seem willing to surrender and resumed, mellifluous:

"Grant it to us, that this seems suspicious."

“What, exactly?”

Eyner calmly intervened. As soon as he spoke, the feud seemed to light up again, with half of the Councilmen scrutinizing him smugly and the other half hanging from his lips, but they all avoided throwing themselves into new discussions, so the brown-haired man said:

“ Captain Luneilim is one of the greatest technological experts on the planet and her…”

" _His_ , he must mean…”

It was a whisper and it wasn’t clear who had uttered it, but it was enough to provoke other sneers; next to the earthlings, MoiMoi cowered a little more, more out of anger than anything else, but he held back and stood still in his corner. Eyner pretended not to hear anything and, glancing icily at the seats, he continued:

“And nothing in her  career could cast doubt on her loyalty to our people. Same goes for Colonel Okorene.”

"Who certainly does not shine for exemplary military conduct."

Ebode made clear, with a nod of denial of his finger.

From where she was hiding with the others, Ichigo clenched her hand tightly around the vial containing the Mew Aqua, which she hadn’t let go of since MoiMoi had entrusted it to her. She didn't quite understand what was happening, but with every word that man uttered, she felt anger mount.

How could he say all those absurdities? And how could he not understand what they were doing to get the crystal back? How could he doubt those who were trying to keep that beautiful planet alive? Hadn't he seen what was happening?! Didn't he know who the Ancestrals were? Or maybe, he was one of those who supported their actions, and then that upset her even more.

"But he never gave way to doubts about his dedication to our cause," Eyner insisted firmly, "And neither did I, as a matter of fact; whatever my choice was.”

More muttering of protest and others of assent. Ebode smiled sarcastically at that last statement and took his chin between two fingers:

“What about the earthlings? Should we entrust our fate to human beings? It's because of humans, if we haven't regained our homeland.”

"This is our homeland!"

Taruto protested loudly, and many in attendance joined him. Ebode immediately backtracked:

“A dying homeland, Lieutenant,” he said gravely, "And I can only fear…! What guarantees to us that those humans will cooperate?! What guarantees us that they won’t rob us of the fragments that we’ll find (if there are any, doubt that it has not yet been resolved) and use them to heal what the small and inane minds of their people have done to Earth?! What, tell me, Councilmen!”

"The fact that we are here!"

The hall fell silent as Ichigo advanced marching until she was a couple of meters from the Council seats. Both her friends in the corner and the four aliens behind her panicked, and Teruga, from above, could only stand up and look at her worriedly.

“Ichigo, what the hell are you doing?” Kisshu whispered through clenched teeth, "Are you crazy?!”

"I can't stand it anymore!"

"Get out... Immediately!”

Pai spit out coldly, his dark gaze flashing with anger; he exchanged an alarmed glance with Eyner and stared at the guards at the foot of the seats, hands on the hilts of their weapons, and clicked his tongue: if they intervened, the guards could even kill her.

"Leave!”

"An earthling...”

Ebode seemed not to believe his eyes, but his face did not betray only bewilderment: he had never expected fate to turn in his favor so abruptly, he had to force himself not to smile and maintain a scandalized attitude.

“An earthling! What is an earthling doing in the presence of the Council?!”

He turned to the audience with a chocked voice:

“ Look at that! The facts are obvious! They make them spy, as if they were thieves…!”

'We're not the thieves! Least of all spies!”

The Councilmen did not appreciate the reply; they became agitated again, shouting of insolence and scandal, while Ebode smiled more and more smugly:

“And you think you're going to prove it by presenting yourself in this way? Such impudence!”

The outcry increased, covering the redhead’s protests. The four boys behind her were shifting their gazes from her to Teruga to the guards to the small group in the corner, which only for the power of some unknown deity had not yet lost its temper.

“She's gone crazy! Completely gone crazy!”

Whimpered Retasu in terror; Minto was out of her mind:

“I don't know whether it would be better to kill her or that nice Councilman first…”

"This is where they all kill us, rather!” MoiMoi cried out, “You should have told me there was a such a risk!”

“What would you have done?"

Zakuro asked bitterly. Behind her Sando grumbled sourly:

"I would’ve tied her up and hid her in some ditch, as long as she didn't make such a mess."

In the middle of the room, Kisshu tried as discreetly as possible to get Ichigo back, firmly grabbing her arm:

“Kitten, you don't know what you're doing," he whispered in her ear, "Please, for once listen to me, humbly ask for forgiveness, bow down, and leave! Maybe we can fi – “ 

She, as usual, was deaf to his pleas and wriggled away, frowning at him:

"I have no intention of hearing him say any more nonsense!"

She took two more steps forward and raised her arm:

“ You don't trust us, do you? Do you want to see the Mew Aqua?!”

From the corner Sando had to hold MoiMoi by the collar of the pullover so that he wouldn’t throw himself at the redhead:

“Ichigo-chan, no...!”

In the same moment, the mewneko let the vial slip a little out of her palm: a series of iridescent flashes spread all around, shutting down all dissent. When there was complete silence, Ichigo lowered her arm and decisively exclaimed:

“ If I’d wanted to, I wouldn't have brought it back here! We have agreed to help you, there is no hidden agenda or other nonsense!”

Silence. The anger, agitation and vehemence she had put into her words had taken her breath away and were making her heart buzz in her ears, but she was certain that she had asserted herself and helped the boys’ cause.

“Kitty cat… I love you, but I have to tell you...Sometimes you're an idiot.”

Suddenly all those present detonated in furious screams and protests; the four guards pulled out their weapons altogether and put themselves in a threatening position, so much so that Ichigo withdrew in fear.

"It's unheard of!"

She caught in the general turmoil.

"Did you hear her?"

"That's the Mew Aqua, that's really it!"

“ Nonsense!” Ebode intervened, “It must be a trick!”

"How did she get in?"

"Betrayal!"

It was a wet blanket for the redhead, who let Kisshu and the others hide her behind them for cover. She believed that showing herself that way would silence any doubt, instead it only seemed to have intensified the problems.

_ What the hell did I do??! _ _ _

“That's enough. Silence, immediately.”

An unknown, firm and authoritarian voice thundered over the confused grumble. All the councilmen settled down quickly, and everyone's eyes shifted to who had given the order.

From the fourth seat of the third row, one of many in the Council, a woman rose to speak. A little younger than Teruga, but older than Ebode, she was an alien with a face delicately marked by age, serious and firm; long dark magenta hair fell down the sides of her face divided into two large tresses to the waist, where it had been pulled back and tied into a low, loose ponytail, in the middle of which ran a small braid. In a reverential silence the woman got up, descended the few steps that separated her from the floor and approached the defendants, her gaze fixed on Ichigo. Kisshu instinctively moved a little further in front of the redhead and the Councilwoman smiled:

“Captain, would you let me talk to this young lady for a moment?"

She looked up at him with amusement:

"Just talk."

Kisshu didn’t protest and, unconvinced, accompanied the mewneko forward. She shyly stood in front of the woman and bowed her head in salute, wondering why her brain would stop working only when it shouldn’t.

“Councilwoman Meryold…”

Ebode's voice, so powerful until a few moments earlier, had been reduced to a mild whisper:

"I don't think it's necessary...”

“I believe that my office as Chairwoman of the Council allows me to also do unnecessary things, within the limits of the law, don't you think?” the woman calmly interrupted him, “And in any case, yes, I believe it’s necessary.” 

She went back to look at Ichigo and gave her a slight nod of encouragement; the redhead took another step forward, admiring the woman's sapphire-colored irises.

"I have the impression that introductions have been skipped,” Meryold said, with a polite tone of reproach, “You are…?”

“M-Momomiya... Momomiya Ichigo.”

She muttered, bowing slightly; the Councilwoman reciprocated.

"Very well. Momomiya-san... You said there's crystal in liquid form in that vial, huh?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She answered as politely as possible and showed the object again.

“Where did you find it?”

"On Earth.”

She replied readily; suddenly she was feeling nervous and struggled to speak without stumbling over her words due to her hurry:

"Me and my companions, with the help of MoiMoi… I mean…”

“Captain Luneilim,” the woman corrected her gently, “I imagine that this flask is also her work... I also recognize your touch, don’t I, Colonel?” 

She looked up at Pai who nodded reverently. Councilwoman Meryold smiled.

"Momomiya-san, would you mind giving me that vial for a moment?"

She gently offered her right hand. Ichigo hesitated for a second, but complied, noting only at that moment that the woman was moving only the arm she was presenting her and never the left one, hidden by the long sleeve and kept folded under her breast.

The air charged with tension as Meryold took the vial between her fingers. Carefully uncorking the cap without opening it more than a millimeter, the woman lifted her left arm with much difficulty and uncovered it slightly, putting the vial close. When the sleeve reached her elbow, Ichigo felt a cold chill and stiffened, ashamed of the surge of disgust that tightened her stomach: beyond the woman’s diaphanous hand, the skin of the wrist was ridden with sores as if it had been devoured by fire, all the way beyond the elbow; even to the inexperienced eyes of the Japanese girl, however, that didn’t really look like a serious sunburn, but rather something foreign to the rest of the body, appearing there by accident like a parasite, something that perhaps was once alive and now was rotting away, bringing along what hosted it. Ichigo tried not to look elsewhere, uncomfortable, but Meryold didn’t seem to notice and let the brim of the vial touch her battered skin. The MewAqua's power instantly reacted to the wound and healed it, regenerating muscles and skin and restoring an elegant pale arm.

The whole room held its breath, no evidence could be more overwhelming than that one. After about ten seconds, Meryold suddenly pulled the bottle away and corked it with a trembling hand, as if holding it close was causing her pain; Ichigo saw her take a slow breath and pull herself together, then she covered her arm and held out the bottle again.

“This gift is not for me.”

Was the exhale that the redhead's feline senses managed to grasp.

“Gentlemen," Meryold exclaimed with resolved and firm voice, turning around, “Your eyes were not deceived, you had irrefutable proof that that in the hands of this young woman is the Gift of the Forefathers.”

The Councilmen agreed and the woman walked next to Ichigo so that everyone could see her, asking again:

"Was it you and your companions who recovered it?"

“Yes.” The mewneko replied again, “And without the help of Mo… of Captain Luneilim, now this drop would be in the hands of Zizi.”

At that statement, Meryold's gaze hardened:

“ Zizi...? Are you talking about the former Captain?”

Ichigo wasn't sure what to answer:

“He was an alie… A young man, with blond hair and blue eyes and ears similar to yours…” the last sentence died on her lips and, as she feared, caused some protests from the stands, “I mean not like human ones.”

Meryold nodded her head:

“And he had a language... let’s say colorful?”

“To understate it.”

The Council stirred again. Ebode rose vigorously:

"And how can we believe her?! She's an earthling, an adversary!” he complained, “If it was one of us, of course it wouldn’t…! In all likelihood the Captain feared for the safety of the Gift…”

Ichigo's composure went out the window and she looked at the man with rage:

“He almost killed MoiMoi!"

She protested outraged. The participants got nervous again at that statement and Ebode was forced to remain silent.

“Did he attack Captain Luneilim?”

Meryold searched for further confirmation and Ichigo affirmed:

"Luckily…” she stopped, unsure whether to reveal Sando's presence; she decided that it was better to remain vague, “She managed to get by.”

It seemed to be enough for the Councilwoman. She nodded one last time to the redhead and the four boys and returned to her seat, followed by the usual stillness of waiting; in the middle of the room, Kisshu brought Ichigo back into their row by unceremoniously pulling her, fearing more rash decisions, but given the situation she proved very docile and obeyed.

"If they sentence me to death," he whispered in her ear, "Remember, for me you’re the culprit.”

He was immediately silent when Meryold's loud voice invaded the whole hall:

“Councilmen. We were gathered here today because our distinguished member, Councilman Ebode, wanted clarifications on what Councilman Teruga had announced a few hours earlier, that is, of the project of collaboration with the sole individuals able to locate the Gift of the Forefathers. The questions were many and the issues touched upon were the most varied. Premising that,” she raised a hand to silence Ebode’s protests before he even spoke, “It was not in our interest to focus on the events of three years ago. It has already been decided that the actions of Colonel Ikisatashi, Captain Ikisatashi and Lieutenant Ikisatashi were bent by the reality of the facts and they acted in the best interest of our world.”

“B-but…”

"Would you want to deny the true sky above this ceiling, Ebode?"

She asked severe. The other bowed his head, furious, and fell silent again.

"Same thing," Meryold continued, "For the others mentioned earlier, including Captain Toruke."

Eyner bowed slightly as a thank you, which Meryold imperceptibly reciprocated.

"The only things to evaluate are our need to recover the Gift, and the obvious fact that these young women are able to do so and apparently are also willing to do so."

She turned to Ichigo, who lifted her head in a sign of attention.

“ Can you speak for all of you, Momomiya-san, saying that you will help us for as long as you are asked to?”

"Certainly."

There was some unconvinced buzz, but the Head Councilwoman nodded, and everyone had to accept the answer without objections.”

"As for the Four Ancestral, I suspend my judgment for now," she continued, "The only thing I order is that, in whatever circumstances they are found to attack any member of our army, they are attacked back."

More voices of assent. Ebode was out of his mind.

"So,” Meryold's voice rose of another tone, “How many against?"

Ichigo watched Kisshu clench his jaw when he saw fourteen hands raised, and she too felt a wave of fear.

"Abstained?"

No hands.

“How many in favor?”

Seventeen hands rose slowly, including Meryold's; Ichigo felt the boy’s hand around her arm relax at once.

"Very well."

The whole Council stood and Meryold concluded the session:

“I officially declare that the Major Council supports Councillor Teruga's proposal. The appointed men will take care of finding the Gift of the Forefathers and will collaborate with the human beings of their choice, within the limits of our laws; as long as Jeweliria and all of our people aren’t safe, the earthlings will be under the protection of the Major Council.”

She made an eloquent gesture towards the five boys standing; they bowed as much as they could – Ichigo, to whose arm Kisshu was still attached, bent quite ungracefully, and ran off more politely and quickly than they could through the side corridor, dragging away the rest of the MewMew and their two fellows.

They immediately found cover in a quieter side corridor, hearing more and more in the distance the Council hall come alive with steps and moving chairs, and they remained silent in that nook until they were certain that all the participants had walked far away enough; only when they felt safe did Kisshu let go of Ichigo's arm and he and the other aliens finally began to breathe again.

"Oh jeez, oh jeez, oh jeez!” MoiMoi breathed, "I feared I would end up in a cell!”

"You’re telling me!” Eyner laughed nervously, “I was telling myself, soon I'll see the sun through bars!”

“Until they cut off your head. If you were lucky.”

Hissed Pai. He turned suddenly to Ichigo and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her angrily:

"What the hell do you have in your brain, you stupid human?!"

"Wha – “ 

"Don't you ever get involved in our people’s matters again!"

“Are you kidding me?!” Minto blurted out, "Look, if you have to reproach her, I agree, she did something stupid, but I think we are very involved in _your people's matters_ , don't you think?”

“ Avoid sarcasm, little crow.”

Rudely, Kisshu pulled his brother away from the redhead, and Pai turned on his heels and started mumbling curses in a corner.

"Pai is right," he told her sternly, "You risked blowing up all the work done so far, as well as obviously risking your lovely neck."

"I just wanted to help you! " Ichigo protested, “Nice way of thanking me!”

"You wanted to help us by pitting us against those who are able to decide on our fate?!” he retorted harshly, "Thank you for your help, I’ll do without!”

"It's not my fault that... That Ebode...!”

“Ichigo, they are right.”

"Zakuro-san!"

"We know nothing about their laws, their customs; we may have overblown a mess and caused a catastrophe.”

Ichigo looked at her offended and sought support from her companions, without receiving it; she angrily bit her lip, she didn’t deserve those harsh judgments!

"If you'd listened to me, at least three seconds…" Kisshu pointed out again, "But you never listen to me, do you?"

It was impossible not to hear the wounded note of that last sentence. Ichigo looked down, unable to withstand the boy's glare.

"Well," Eyner concluded, "Let's say that, in the end, it went well."

Pai responded by clicking his tongue furiously.

“ Meryold-sama gave us her support, didn't she?” Eyner insisted “And for the moment the Council is supporting us, I think it is the best we could get.”

“Yeah…”

Taruto sighed and crossed his hands behind his head:

"Seriously, old bat, you always cause a lot of troub – “ 

He screamed and the earthlings saw two hands grab his hips and throw him on their owner's shoulders without any effort, not even as if Taruto was made of feathers.

"It's not nice to call such a pretty girl an ‘old bat’!”

Ichigo jolted slightly, looking at the man holding the brown-haired boy like a sack of potatoes: he was the dark-haired soldier who had caught her eye in the Council hall.

"Since when have you become so rude, eh?"

“What the heck...?! Dad, let me down immediately!”

Every astonished comment was buried by the strong laughter of the man, who didn’t listen to Taruto's complaints for a second and held him firmly where he had put him, merrily.

“You started a nice hustle in there, young lady,” he winked at Ichigo, “Luckily, there were my pouter son and Eyner behind you, and my men don’t really have lion hearts.”

"I’ll take it as a compliment."

Eyner just chuckled, while Pai sighed grimly.

“ Thank you for considering me as threatening as a little girl…”

Kisshu protested by crossing his arms.

"If you had intervened as well, you would have sent us into early retirement."

"Pops, you talk as if you’re an old man!”

His father snickered and scratched his cheek, covered by a five o’clock shadow:

“We all know that the safekeeping of the Major Council is a nice way to set aside senior soldiers, don’t we?”

In one gesture, he gently tipped over his younger son and put him on the ground, then ruffled his hair with one hand:

"It’s to you young people that fun things happen."

Taruto annoyingly waved away his hand and began to protest that he should no longer treat him like a brat, which only made Mr. Ikisatashi laugh a little more. As he bickered with his son, Ichigo watched the man more closely and finally understood why she had had the impression that she knew him.

If he had been younger and without that cheerful smile, he would have been Pai’s living portrait. Even the short hair was of the same shade of purple, even if it tended less to blue; on the base of his neck, he wore a short pigtail wrapped in a ribbon, black as the very simple clothes he wore under the uniform, a light armor of a leather-like material, consisting of shoulders pads, breastplate and arm sleeves; by studying it closely, the beard appeared purposely short and well kept, and it followed the line of the cheekbone, giving strength to his already robust figure. The thing that made him more different from his son, smile aside, were the eyes of a glowing gold, elongated in shape and endowed with a cheerful and proud light.

"I'm glad to see that the gang here is very diverse!”

He bowed theatrically and winked at the earthlings, pointing to Kisshu, Pai and Taruto:

“Iader Ikisatashi, unfortunately the progenitor of these rascals.”

“Funny…”

"It's nice to meet you, Sir."

Retau smiled and Iader laughed again:

“Kami-sama, not ‘Sir’! I could be your father, child!”

Retasu blushed as usual, but answered with a tender smile:

“Yes... Iader-san…”

“You picked the wrong one, pops,” Kisshu joked, "You’re talking to Ms. Formalities.”

"The fact that Retasu is polite," Minto bitterly pointed out, "Does not authorize you to give her titles; especially you, who have lost your manners over the years along with your modesty!”

Hearing that exchange of digs, Iader whistled high-pitched:

“ You too didn't make a good choice on whom to argue with, Kisshu.”

“Okay. That's enough. I really have to kill her.”

“Stop it immediately, you two,” Pai snorted, dividing them, “Father... What are you doing here?”

"I wanted to meet our guests," he replied candidly, "And see how our MoiMoi was doing."

He turned to the alien who smiled gratefully at him, tilting his head to the side like a cat:

“I'm peachy” he giggled and put his index against his cheek, "They just whipped me a little bit.”

"But you're going to get checked anyways.”

Sando ruled; MoiMoi protested strongly, but the other ignored him. Iader gently nudged her shoulder:

“He's right. Zizi never had a light touch. You have to…”

He stopped and looked earnestly towards the larger corridor behind them: the other aliens imitated him, and, after a few seconds, the earthlings as well heard footsteps coming in their direction. They leaned outside and spotted Councilwoman Meryold, flanked by two guards, heading towards them; as soon she was close, the aliens made a gesture of reverence and the girls imitated them, a little intimidated.

“Meryold-sama...”

"Iader-san," smiled the woman, "I imagined you were with them.”

The man smiled and ruffled again the hair of Taruto, who thought better than protesting.

“Is Lasa-san better?”

"Much better, thank you,” He said, "In a few days she’ll be back in shape.”

The girls didn't know who Iader was talking about, but that sentence appeared like a balm for the nerves of his sons, who all relaxed their shoulders. Meryold smiled kindly:

"I'm glad.”

The woman's blue eyes turned to MoiMoi, who straightened his back and bowed again.

“Captain Luneilim, I've been told you're hurt…”

"Nothing serious," he replied promptly, "I will be fine."

The woman nodded gently. She then looked over the five earthlings and, nodding to her escort to back up a little, said:

"I would like to exchange a few more words with Momomiya-san and her friends, if you have time."

The earthlings looked at each other; they had little choice but to consent. They followed Meryold a few meters further down the corridor, enough to stay under the watchful eye of their custodians and find some privacy. The woman looked at them one by one and sighed:

"You are so young... But, after all, the mission we sent to Earth was also made up of boys...”

She had a nostalgic tone, marked by regret. The girls didn’t know what to reply and they just mumbled meekly.

“Momomiya-san.”

"Y-yes?"

“I must admit, I admire your courage today. You're a strong girl, and, know, I don't think you said anything wrong.”

The redhead smiled radiantly, but immediately changed her expression when she saw Meryold's troubled air:

“ But you were reckless. Your intentions and motives are more than noble... But it is not with those that you shake the consciences of politicians. With your attitude you only embittered those who opposed you, appearing as a disrespectful agitator.”

"I-I…” Ichigo wanted to sink down into the ground, but tried to maintain her composure, “I only told the truth!"

"It’s not the truth that some people want to hear,” the woman replied sadly, “They want to be told what is comfortable. That we can recapture our ancient motherland and recreate it, that we will have honors and glory on the part of Deep Blue-sama. The truth… The truth is uncomfortable and does not satisfy those who want too much. By the way, in this environment the presentation matters more, in many cases, than the words.”

Ichigo lowered her head, humiliated, not knowing what to respond. The Councilwoman gracefully placed her healthy hand on her shoulder and said:

"I understand your will and, I repeat, I admire your fortitude. But from now on, look for more diplomatic ways to prove your worth and leave your energy for where you need it.”

She smiled encouragingly at her and nodded to her two guards, then re-started with them down the hallway.

***

Aliens and earthlings came out of a secondary entrance of the palace and found themselves in a large garden, surrounded by houses that increased more and more towards south, stopping at the edge of the forest. Iader left them in the doorway and returned to his business followed by Sando, who was to return to Teruga's guard; not before, of course, having again warned MoiMoi to get checked up.

“ But I'm fine!” he protested “And then I have to go and put the Mew Aqua…!”

“I’ll take care of that.”

Pai stopped him harshly and tore out of his hand the bottle with the drop he had recovered; MoiMoi puffed his cheeks, offended:

“ Pai-chan, don't interfere.”

"If you weren't well, I'd have twice as much work."

He said briskly. Looking at him, Retasu held back a chuckle, his highest expression of concern was so rigid that it was comical.

"Funny!” MoiMoi snorted, "Those at the medical center won’t let me out for weeks…!”

"If it's just for a check-up," said Iader politely, "Why don't you get checked by Lasa? She's better now, and seeing someone will just please her.”

MoiMoi seemed to appreciate the idea, but then he thought about it:

"I won't disturb Lasa-san?"

"You know what my wife is like, even if she doesn't heal, she forces herself to feel better!” The man laughed, “She’s incapable of staying in bed, she gets restless.”

“Okay,” sighed Kisshu massaging his neck, “Then in the meantime I will take the girls home…”

“You're joking, right?”

Purin exclaimed and bypassing the boy she turned to Taruto:

“ Taru-Taru, you do remember that you promised me, huh? I wanna meet your mom!”

“What?!”

The little boy heard with horror his father holding back a fat laugh: he would have to endure weeks and weeks of teasing for that nickname.

“Purin, what are you saying?” Minto scolded her, "You don't invite yourself to other people’s homes, how old are you?!”

Purin didn’t pay her attention and continued to stare at the brown-haired boy with eyes shining of excitement as he protested:

“Apart from the fact that I've already told you that you have to call me by my name, but what are you thinking?! I didn't promise you a damn!”

"Come on! I'm curious! I bet the girls are, too… Right onee-chan?”

Feeling involved, Retasu gasped without hiding a slight blush; it was evident that the idea of discovering something else about the daily life of their new allies intrigued her.

“And they say ‘being an open book’…”

Kisshu teased her, and Retasu became scarlet.

“Is it that fun for you to annoy her?”

Pai's annoyed comment only amused his brother more, who looked at him mischievously:

“Does it bother you?”

“It bothers me to have a four-year-old brother,” he whispered glacially, “It’s rude to pick on those those who do not rebut.”

Kisshu responded by snorting. For her part, Retasu returned to her usual complexion, but her mood suddenly worsened: she didn’t know why, but she was convinced that she had been teased by both; and yet, if on Kisshu's part it was something she was getting used to – she was aware of giving him far too many chances of saying mean things – and that she basically accepted because of his character, it seemed to her that in Pai's words there was always an allusion to the fact that she was a little dumb. And it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Pai pressed two fingers to his temple and he squeezed the vial he held in his hand:

"Do as you please, however, I don't have time to deal with this nonsense."

And he left without adding anything else. Iader watched him disappear and looked up to the sky, going back in with Sando:

"I just don't understand whom he took this bad temper from!"

***

In the end, Purin convinced Taruto and Kisshu to take her with them along with MoiMoi and the other girls, not all of them happy with the decision.

"It's a waste of time!"

Minto burst out, crossing her arms.

"What is it," Kisshu taunted her, “Are you afraid that our humble peasant abode is not suitable for your lineage, milady?"

She didn’t even answer him and lifted her chin imperiously. To be honest, even Ichigo, although very curious, didn’t have a great desire to be there. She had appeared stupid, risked her and her friends' lives and perhaps compromised all the boys’ work... Not to mention the fact that she had wounded Kisshu for the umpteenth time and was regretting it to death.

“Where did Eyner-san go?”

"I believe he went to get Sury from a neighbor’s," Taruto vaguely pondered, "Since my mother was not well…”

Retasu fixed her glasses on her nose without understanding:

"Sury?"

"His sister."

The two turned surprised at Zakuro, who merely shrugged:

“ He mentioned to me that he has a sister. Two plus two…”

They stopped in front of a simple boxed construction, which looked like it was made of stone and resembled certain human houses built in the desert; it was very large and two-storied, with rough wooden Venetian-like blinds and a large, heavy door, which Kisshu opened scraping it hard on the floor.

"Mom? Are you there?”

He signaled to the girls to stay behind and entered with Taruto first, looking around. There was a small hallway overlooking a living room with a one-legged large circular table, made of a grey plastic material just like the chairs placed around it, surrounded by shelves full of unidentifiable objects, but the whole place was deserted.

"Maybe she went to rest a little.”

Taruto thought aloud. He stopped, for from a room further down he heard a high voice calling him; a few light steps and from a shadowy corner a petite figure came to him smiling:

"Boys! I thought I heard... Oh?”

The woman stopped shortly before reaching her youngest son, looking curiously at the crowd outside her doorway; she smiled imperceptibly:

"We have company, I see."

Lasa had all the girls settle down in her living room and listened to the various reasons for the visits, smiling lightly and following carefully as she was helped by Taruto in serving cups filled with a steaming drink.

"Oh, no, madam…!”

Retasu fretted, remembering Meryold's words about the woman and fearing for their meaning:

"You don't need to…!”

“Don’t worry,” the woman replied kindly, “And please, call me Lasa.”

Retasu did not respond and accepted with a shy smile the mug she was offered.

"You don't need so many ceremonies," Kisshu muttered to his mother, "And besides, shouldn't you be resting?”

“Kisshu, I had a slight fever, I wasn't dying,” she pointed out calmly, “Come on, drink and don't grumble.” 

The woman sat in a chair and took a few sips as she finished listening to MoiMoi's account of the latest events.

After meeting Iader, it would have been hard to imagine that Lasa, the wife of the all-too-lively Mr. Ikisatashi, was really the person in front of them. Unlike her husband, Lasa spoke little, always in a low voice, had measured and kind manners and seemed a little cold, or perhaps careful to relate to others without invading their space. Minute and not very tall – she barely had to reach five foot two – she had a round and sweet face very similar to Taruto’s; shoulder-length chestnut-colored hair curled at the tips, and behind her right ear she wore a braid, tied by deep-blue beads, the same color as her eyes. To the eyes of the earthlings, even more than all the rest, the clothes appeared curious, probably because they had never seen a woman among the aliens except for Councilwoman Meryold, who in any case wore the clothes of her caste. Lasa wore a sort of lightly fitted dark mahogany bodice, laced with a ribbon that started from the gentle v-neckline and stopped at her waist; below, there appeared a light cream shirt that came down to her wrists, where it was closed with two laces; of the same color was the long skirt that swayed in various folds, but its material was unintelligible: at first glance it looked like heavy cotton for the way it fell to her feet, yet it wrapped the woman's hips and legs with the lightness of silk.

Everything in Lasa fascinated and intrigued them; the girls remained silent for a long time, studying her furtively and leaving MoiMoi to lead the conversation.

“…So, Lasa-san,” he said after a while, “If I could take a look at me... Just to make sure I didn't break anything.” 

"With pleasure, my dear. Ah, you know... I wish it were for other reasons, but I'm glad you came by.” she emptied her mug and smiled at the earthlings, “And you too, of course.”

“It was my idea!”

Purin laughed radiantly; the others sighed resignedly, and Lasa let a chuckle slip:

“It's a really good idea, then. Now, though, I'd like to check MoiMoi-chan, if you don't mind.”

At that sentence, the boy jumped out of his chair and confidently walked down the hallway leading to the other side of the house, ahead of the woman.

"So, your mother is a doctor."

Minto said distractedly, turning the mug in her hands.

"And what do you know?"

Taruto asked, raising an eyebrow; she looked at him condescendingly:

“I t seems obvious to me, since MoiMoi-chan asked her to check her health.”

The other frowned and blushed in anger, he detested that hold hag who always treated him like a stupid child.

"It’s a bit weird to think that she is…” chuckled Retasu, "How can I say this... If I imagine aliens, it's hard to associate them with normal jobs…” 

“What was she supposed to be, a mongoose farmer?” Kisshu asked sarcastically, “And I’d also like to remind you that you are the aliens here, not the other way around.”

"How cool!"

Purin laughed. She swallowed the last sip and pirouetted off her chair, throwing herself onto Taruto’s:

“ Now I'm curious to take a look around! Can you show me your room?”

“What? Are you stupid by any chance?!” he blurted, “Over my dead body!”

She only laughed louder and grabbed his hand, forcing him to stand:

"Come on, let's go!"

"Can you listen to me, you stupid monkey?!?”

But Taruto's protests fell among the ruckus the blonde was causing by dragging him around the house like a trailer and he had no choice but to run after her trying not to stumble.

"Oh dear…”

It was the only comment Ichigo was able to make; Minto shrugged and drank another sip elegantly and Zakuro snickered.

“I don't know who’s more of a fool, the brat or my brother… I hope at least they don't destroy the house!”

Retasu smiled strained, but had to admit that perhaps that wasn't such a remote concern.

The group remained silent for a few minutes and Ichigo soon felt uncomfortable again: she wanted to apologize for what had happened in the Council Hall and in particular apologize to Kisshu for treating him like dirt, but her tongue wasn’t collaborating and was staying immobile in her completely dry mouth. Unexpectedly, it was Minto who got her out of the mess of making up her mind, having finished drinking:

“ What was Councilman Ebode referring to when he was talking about MoiMoi, Sando-san and Eyner?”

The question was asked by her, but it had had to be buzzing in everyone's head for a while, because Kisshu found himself being stared at by four curious pairs of eyes. He sighed and passed a hand through his bangs:

“Well, about MoiMoi Senpai, you can imagine it…”

He sighed contemptuously and Ichigo slammed her cup on the table, scandalized:

"It won't be because she's not..."

He shrugged:

“Skills and intelligence are obviously irrelevant, if you choose to wear a skirt even if you are equipped with the family jewels.”

“It’s… awful.”

W as the little hiccup with which Retasu answered; Zakuro exhaled and whispered bitterly:

"It's nice to know that certain stupidities are common to the whole universe."

Kisshu bitterly chuckled in agreement.

"As for Eyner," he went on, "I don't think I'm the most appropriate person to talk about it, so...”

He emptied his cup and did not seem keen on concluding the speech.

"And Sando-san?"

Retasu asked timidly; Kisshu watched her for a few seconds in silence and crossed his arms:

"Let's say that even his is complicated...”

"But this can be talked about."

MoiMoi intervened, returning with Lasa.

“MoiMoi-chan! So?”

Ichigo asked apprehensive, and the other smiled at her:

"Without being too technical, I'm just a little bruised; nothing to stitch or put into a cast. I have a hard skin,” she giggled, “I’m a steel damsel!”

"But," Lasa pointed out, "You'll be careful, and you won't stress yourself for a few days, am I clear?”

MoiMoi mumbled through tight lips but nodded and sat down:

“And Purin-chan and Taruto?”

"I think Purin forced him to a sightseeing tour of the house."

Kisshu sneered amused. MoiMoi reciprocated his grinning and laughed, while Lasa sighed with a smile:

“Try not to overdo it in torturing him, Kisshu...”

***

"Did no one taught you that you don't go through other people's stuff?"

Taruto inveighed, grabbing Purin by her waist and pulling her out of one of the drawers in his closet, where the blonde had tucked her head in.

“ But I'm curious!” she admitted, sticking out her tongue, “I never thought I'd see your room.”

“It's a room, Purin,” he pointed out, tired, "I just sleep there.”

“ That's not true. There are all your things too!”

She said and ran her finger on the spines of some books written in an unknown language:

"Especially the ones you like."

"So what?"

He asked skeptically and she smiled:

"It's nice to find out the things you like, isn't it?"

"Get this over with!”

He shrilled, flaring up, but she didn’t mind him and grabbed a small box from a shelf; Taruto blanched as he watched her shake the box to check if it was empty:

“What's in here?”

"Nothing!” he muttered, “Give it back!”

“It feels like something small... That rolls?”

Without giving her more leeway, he took the box from her hands and hid it behind his back:

"There's nothing in it, I told you!"

"Oh, come on, let me see!” she giggled, "Or at least tell me what's in there.”

“I can’t…” he was red as a tomato, “I cannot, okay? It’s a secret.”

She pouted and watched him hide the box under his pillow.

"Alright… Keep your secrets if you want.” She sent him a complicit glance, “In return, I want to see how you were when you were a child. Do you have a photo?”

“What?! Forget it! And what the hell is a photo?"

She resumed rummaging around, deaf to his protests, but Taruto indulged: he would have done anything, even look for something whose nature he didn’t know, in order to keep Purin away from the box where he jealously guarded the candies she had given him.

***

"MoiMoi-san?"

"Uh?"

The alien looked at Retasu, who was clutching her cup and moving awkwardly on her chair:

“What... were you saying about Sando-san?”

MoiMoi stopped laughing and put on sad smile.

"If it's something we shouldn’t know...”

The other shook his head and began:

"You may have known that before the MewAqua, this planet was in appalling climatic conditions."

Zakuro nodded with a low grumbling and MoiMoi continued:

"It often happened that we had to send exploration patrols to nearby planets, you know, for supplies or trading... Although things weren't always friendly. At that time, Sando was in charge of a team that I was also part of, along with a girl who was my kohai and, well... Skills or not, we weren't very appreciated by the rest of the platoon. Myself for the way I am...”

He paused for an instant, shaking his head.

"The other because she was a woman uh?"

Finished Minto. MoiMoi nodded slowly:

"Long story short, there was an action against hostile soldiers, and my kohai and I were voluntarily left behind by the rest of the team, risking our life."

"What?!"

“They didn't want to risk their limbs for us. Even though we somehow managed… Couldn’t avoid the hospital that time!” He tried to downplay it, watching Ichigo with a crooked smile, “Neither could my partner, that’s true…”

“But the rest of the team came out worse.”

Kisshu concluded with a certain malignant satisfaction. The girls looked at him confused and his grin widened:

"Sando-san had never liked certain discriminations and he didn’t tolerate such cowardice at all. So, he gathered his team and beat up more than half of them.”

"No deaths… Fortunately…”

Ichigo was certain that MoiMoi's fortunately was placed in giant quotes.

"But Sando-san was demoted and sent to be the babysitter to the recruits and to Councilman Teruga,” Kisshu continued, "Or rather, the Councilman proposed him for those tasks, to keep him out of jail.”

“Although this was not enough for the Council…”

Lasa added distractedly; when she noticed that the Earthlings looked at her worriedly, she sighed and concluded:

"As an act of punishment, they demanded that he lose his Belonging."

“Because he had _tarnished the honor of the army_.”

Kisshu mimicked bitterly. The girls didn’t immediately understand, until Ichigo distractedly touched MoiMoi’s ribbons that tied her pigtails:

"Sando-san has nothing...”

Lasa slowly nodded yes.

"Our people wear them as a distinctive trait.”

MoiMoi touched one of his tails with two fingers and pointed to Kisshu's and Lasa's braid with a nod:

"Not having any is like being excluded from the others."

He was silent, crouching sadly on the chair.

“ MoiMoi-chan, you know it wasn't your fault."

Lasa said softly but decisively; he nodded unconvinced. On her chair, Ichigo made herself as small as she could and whined:

"It's my fault...! If I hadn't intervened, they wouldn't have brought up such nonsense...!”

"That’s silly," MoiMoi corrected her, "Ebode was going to play those cards for sure; of course, he should have avoided bringing up both Sando and Eyn-chan, since half of the Council dotes on them.”

“I don't know about Eyner... But as for Sando-san, do I have to suspect that it has anything to do with the way he hammered that vulgar blond kid?”

Minto asked and MoiMoi smiled satisfied:

"And you didn't really see him angry!"

"I'd be curious a little bit...”

"Zakuro, are you aware that you are a quarrelsome girl?"

“ Don't you dare talk like that to onee-sama, you know?” Minto hissed, unconcerned by the amused air in Kisshu’s golden eyes, “And coming from you, a person dedicated to some acts of diplomacy...!”

"You really want me to drown you in some puddle."

The brunette forced herself to ignore the subtle reference to their misadventure in the Yakori pool and didn’t reply anymore.

"Yes, it's true Ichigo," sighed MoiMoi, leaving the two to their squabble, “You were silly. But you brought Councilwoman Meryold to our side, and that's a great thing!”

"Absolutely."

Lasa added softly.

Upon hearing about the Councilwoman, Ichigo remembered what had happened in the hall and looked up:

“ By the way… Meryold-san, what does she have on her…”

She didn’t know how to proceed without appearing disrespectful; she wanted to avoid that, as she had already exhausted her dose of rudeness allowed around there.

“ It happened shortly after the planet began to die.” Kisshu hurriedly said, "When she came into contact with one of the plants in that area.”

“Some released poisonous exhalations before they died, perhaps a reaction of rejection to the loss of the benefits of the Gift.” MoiMoi explained, “The result on those who came into contact with them is strange sores and burns, and from what we have analyzed so far, only the power of MewAqua can heal them.”

"Through the Gift of the Forefathers, as that woman called it.”

Zakuro said without needing them to confirm.

“That's why we have to find the Drops as soon as possible!” MoiMoi exclaimed loudly, "Rather, thanks for the _paina_ , Lasa-san, but it’s better to go back and help Pai-chan.”

The woman nodded kindly:

“ I hope you'll come back to see me. Ah, and same for you.”

The girls agreed with a smile and wondered, almost simultaneously, what Pai and Kisshu’s terrible tempers– Taruto was still passable – had to do with such a sweet and polite woman.

"Well," Kisshu muttered as he got up, "I'm going to retrieve the monkey and Taruto, so they can accompany you…”

“You’re not going with them?”

He stopped for a second on the stairs at his mother's question, but then limited himself to a laconic no and disappeared upstairs.

***

The punch was so hard that he couldn’t manage to stand and was hurled against the column, crushing against the small tub and spilling water everywhere.

"Don't ruin the altar, Zizi.” a voice sneered, “You know that unaesthetic disturbs my soul.”

"Shut your awful mouth, Toyu!"

The other hissed, wiping the blood from his lip already swollen from his encounter with Sando.

The young man named Toyu stared at him conceitedly, but added nothing else, silenced by the nod from the giver of the punch. 

"It’s useless for you to vent your anger on him. You were an idiot, because of you we lost another Drop.”

“It's not my fault, Arashi!” he protested, “You didn't tell me that those shitty earthlings would be with the faggot senpai and that living tank of Sando!”

“And you couldn't get rid of them,” the other sentenced, “Must I doubt you?"

Zizi didn’t respond and finished wiping himself from the blood, looking like a beaten dog.

“ Our search is at a standstill. Without an active Drop, we can't find the others.”

"Arashi, don’t let the bile boil up,” said Toyu with a smarmy smile, "In the end, they only have one Drop; we have three. We let them find them for us, and if Zizi can't recover them on his own, we're going to make the effort of helping him.”

The concerned individual inveighed against him in an alien dialect, which made a blonde girl, standing next to Toyu, split her sides laughing. Arashi ignored them, reflecting:

“Yes... Until the strength increases, it is the quickest solution.”

He snapped his fingers and the other three turned to look at him:

“Start tailing those five little girls. Wait until they find an active Drop... And kill them.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> 
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	8. Stop for a minute on the crossing - 180 days/self-destruction man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryou let her, slowly stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other, wondering what was preventing him from yelling at her and telling her that "her Masaya" was an imbecile, who didn’t deserve her tears; wondering what allowed him not to say "leave him", what had not yet made him bend down to kiss her and make those tears stop.

“I reiterate: shouldn't you be resting?” 

Lasa glanced over her shoulder, catching her son staring at her seriously, leaned against the corner of the wall.

“ Ah, there you are. I thought you'd gotten lost upstairs, darling.”

"Don't change the topic," Kisshu snorted, “Come on, leave it…”

He moved her aside decisively and finished tidying up the kitchen in her place, with the woman rolling her eyes:

"You guys worry too much, I’m fine.”

"Do you know what you had?"

He asked critically; Lasa put her face on her hand:

"I have yet to confirm it, even though…”

"Even though?"

She shook her head and smiled comfortingly:

"Nothing... Good heavens, since when are you so anxious?”

"You're the one who makes me anxious."

He mumbled by closing the cabinet door above his head. She laughed softly, wiped her hands and looked at him an instant:

"So... Ichigo, huh?”

Kisshu stayed a few seconds with his hand holding the clean mug in mid-air and then stored it away without answering.

Having three sons taught to move cautiously when it came to matters of the heart, and Lasa had learned it better than many others; she was never intrusive with her boys and didn’t dispense judgments if unsolicited, merely acting as a confidant. Perhaps for that reason she was the only one to whom Kisshu had clearly expressed – excluding the directly interested – his feelings for the mewneko.

"Yup.”

“Is that why you preferred to stay here and help me?”

"Can't a son help his elderly mother?"

He answered theatrically; she did not react, merely raising an eyebrow.

"It's more entertaining to make fun of Taruto."

“I don't question that,” she smiled, “Is it because of what happened in front of the Council?"

Kisshu didn’t answer her again and clasped his palms on the edge of the sink, letting out a bitter laugh:

“It's not just for...! Whatever comes out of my mouth, even the most innocent, she doesn't listen to me.”

He sat down angrily and pressed his hands hard against his forehead; Lasa joined him without saying anything and sat next to him, hands on her lap.

"You never gave up on her.”

She ascertained slowly. Kisshu watched her, waiting for the criticism, but she did nothing.

"I can't.”

Was his simple answer as he stretched out against the seatback. Lasa sighed and rubbed his shoulder:

"Just try not to go beyond what you can stand."

Kisshu peered at her from behind his bangs, flattening over his eyes, catching her melancholic smile; he knew that the topic worried her, but she would still let him make mistakes freely, if he wanted to.

"And if you want to bore your elderly mother," she reminded him, parroting him, "You know where to find her."

She made to get up, but he preceded her and planted a kiss on her cheek:

"Thank you.”

“Don't be clingy.”

She laughed.

"And you don't be Pai."

Lasa shook her head, amused, and he stretched, regaining his usual mocking grimace on his face:

“ By the way... I'd better go help him and the senpai.”

"Take pity on your brother's nerves, you will give him an ulcer."

“It's his fault that he can't be funny!” he justified himself with a smile, “He should take his head out of a screen and relax a little, think about some girls…”

Lasa put on an ambiguous smile:

“Yes. He should.”

“… What do you know that I don't?”

“Me?” she asked innocently, "What should I know?"

She continued to smile at him enigmatically and he shrugged, going out; Lasa sighed:

“I don't know anything,” she reiterated, seemingly harmless, “And I'm afraid neither does Pai…” 

***

Meanwhile, Taruto had taken the girls back to Earth, with Purin not stopping her hammering him with chatters about what she had seen – what she had forced him to show her – at the brown-haired boy’s home; he was a little exasperated, not least because the blonde seemed to have completely gone crazy for Lasa.

“ Your mom is fantastic! She’s so sweet… and so beautiful!”

“I get it, man, you're stressful! Do you wanna start dating her?”

“You’re so obnoxious!” she muttered, “You never change!”

She pouted for about five seconds, pretty much a record.

"Listen, Taru-Taru!"

“Here we go again…”

“Do you think I could come back to see you? I'd love it!”

“W-well... MoiMoi-san and Pai said it will take a while to find the other Drops, so I don't think we'll see each other for a few days...”

“Whaaaaaat!?!”

She complained, widening her dark irises:

“ But MoiMoi nee-chan said that the portal stays open! Isn’t it true?”

She sought support from her companions who did not know what to answer and simply looked at her with half smiles.

"Yes, it’s true," Retasu politely told her, "But we should only use it for emergencies…”

"And then there’s the barrier raised by the senpai to avoid other people getting in by mistake,” Taruto clarified, “It might be invisible, but I fear they would notice you if you began to vanish and appear in nothingness."

Purin groaned disconsolately again and returned to stare at him wide-eyed. Taruto tried to ignore her by looking elsewhere and grimacing, uncomfortable: in all honesty, he wouldn’t have minded seeing the mewmonkey again, but admitting it would be as embarrassing as having her in his room again.

“Uff…”

If she had had her animal ears, Purin would have lowered them until they’d disappear in her hair:

"Alright…”

She made such a disappointed face that Taruto couldn’t resist and, trying to keep his cool, crossed his arms and blurted as dryly as he could:

"If you stop whining like a brat, I'll see if you can come for a short while, someday."

"Seriously?"

"If it’s possible!” he clarified sternly, “I will have to help the senpai too. This is not a game!”

Purin nodded about ten times and threw her arms around his neck, bouncing euphorically: a confirmation, according to Taruto, that she was planning to make him die of shock.

"In short, stop being clingy!”

He struggled to push her away and lifted himself in mid-air, just to prevent her from gripping his neck again:

“ You have the transmitters,” he grunted, trying to stop his blushing, “Try not to get into trouble.”

"See you Taru-Taru!"

He replied by sticking his tongue out and teleported away. Minto sighed dryly:

“I don't know why, but I think the opposite is more likely...”

“What do you mean?”

"That we _never_ look for trouble, Reta-chan. It's trouble that looks for us.”

***

When she finally arrived home, Ichigo was so tired that the only thing she could do, before falling into a semi-coma, was throw herself fully clothed on the bed with a sigh worthy of a steamer.

"What a life, that of a heroine…!” she whined, “Masha, I'm exhausted!”

“ _Exhausted! Exhausted! Pii!”_

It was obvious, with the day she had had… She and the girls had returned from the alien planet when it was already morning and, to avoid problems with her parents, she had had to run home, where she had not been able to lie down for even ten minutes; by the time she had sneaked in through the window, her mother had come up to knock and tell her to get up, so put away the Yakori's uniform and put on the usual one, straight to school. There, of course, every attempt at a nap had been thwarted – the Japanese professor had struck her head so hard with a book to wake her up, that she had almost broken her nose on the desk – and had to struggle to scramble to the catch-up classes for the days of absence while she had been undercover with the others.

_ But why the extra homework?! I was trying to save Earth, I don't deserve these bad things, nyaa-ah!!!! _ _ _

To crown her exhaustion, for the umpteenth time she couldn’t hear from nor see Masaya, if not for a couple of minutes as she had walked home from the train station: the boy had been very hasty, but had hinted at big news coming, for which he had seemed very excited.

"A big surprise... What do you think it could be?”

_ “What, what? I don't know, piii!” _

"Maybe something special for the two of us...!” she started to fantasize, “We can never be alone in peace and quiet, maybe he is arranging a trip…”

“ _Trip! Trip! Piii! Romantic weekend, piii! “_

The redhead laughed delightedly and took the robot in her hands, rubbing it against her cheek:

“ Wouldn't that be great?”

_ “You're happy! It's great, it's great, pii!” _

She gave it a peck and pushed herself to get up, yawning:

“Well, I couldn’t cope with good news, tired as I am! Come on Masha, let’s take a nice nap!”

_ “Nap! Yes, yes, pii!” _

***

"You're cheerful today."

Retasu said with a smile; Ichigo nodded carefree, singing as she swept the floor.

“She's had the same face for two days,” sighed Minto with superiority, “I would really like to know what you’re so happy about.”

“Your sarcasm doesn't touch me,” the redhead replied triumphantly, “So you can save your breath.”

The other looked at her skeptically, but shrugged her shoulders and continued to drink her tea calmly. Ichigo, meanwhile, got done with the floor and went to polish the tables without failing to whistle cheerfully: the news – or rather the half news – given to her by Masaya on "big updates" had energized her for a whole day and, finally, the black-haired guy had told her that that afternoon he would come to the Café and reveal everything to her. She was so excited that she wouldn't stop going from one chore to the other, even stealing them from her companions; her mind had already embellished every possible variation of a sentimental surprise, going from probable but banal afternoon outings to proposals of paradoxical romantic getaways.

“ Are you done thinking about Aoyama? You're smiling like an idiot.”

She turned, stunned, to look at Ryou without taking off her stupid chuckling grimace, topped by a trickle of drool; when she realized that, because he was giving her his best smile of self-importance, she blushed at once and looked at him surly:

"W-w-what makes you believe I'm thinking of Masaya-kun?!"

"Because now you also have red ears, not just hair…” he said wickedly, "You're still drooling."

The mewneko’s skin blushed of a deeper tone, and she turned her back to him angrily, poorly hiding as he wiped her lips:

“You're unbearable, Shirogane!"

“You, on the other hand, are strangely efficient,” he had to admit, “Why all this energy?”

She must not have grasped the subtle caustic tone with which he asked the question, because she returned to look at him inebriated with joy and didn’t answer him, laughing like a fool.

Ryou surprised himself, he never thought he had such a murderous instinct.

_ Kami-sama, how much I hate that little amoeba boy! _ _ _

“You know well I'm not going to grant you any permissions of any kind,” he pinpointed sternly, "And I remind you that you have made a commitment with certain aliens, you know... For the salvation of the Universe?”

_ “Ah. Ah. Ah,”  _ she replied acidly, “Listen, I don’t…!”

There was a jingle and the door opened. Within two seconds, Ichigo smiled radiantly again, leaving Ryou where he was and dashing to the entrance, continuing to hug the broom. Ryou could have sworn with horror he could see flowers and hearts coming out of her head.

"Good morning.”

“Masaya-kun! Welcome!”

The other girls greeted back the black-haired boy enthusiastically. Only Zakuro merely nodded her head, casting a sideways glance at Ryou; she had to admit it, had she been the blond, at a similar sight even she couldn’t be sure she could remain so stoic.

“Pardon me, could I steal Ichigo for a second?” Masaya politely asked," "Promise, I'll bring her back to you in five minutes.”

The last part was for Ryou, who limited himself to a very quiet _as you please_ and returned to the kitchen to Keiichiro, trying to stifle with all his strength the resentment for Masaya’s satisfied air. Purin, Minto and Retasu, on the other hand, giggled mischievously and nodded as Ichigo dragged her boyfriend to the back exit, blushing like a lobster.

"Damn them…” she mumbled, closing the door, “I’m sorry, you know how they are.”

He smiled with his usual sweetness.

“So!” the girl exclaimed, her eyes shining, "What did you have to tell me?"

Masaya acted aloof for a few more seconds, then his face lit up:

“It's great! They accepted me!”

Ichigo’s eyes widened, she didn’t understand:

"Accepted…?”

“There's a course, you know, in England...!” he kept explaining, excited, “The professor told me about it at the beginning of the year, telling me that with my average and my English I could participate.”

She didn’t change her expression, the half-smile frozen on her cheeks:

"And…?”

"It’s is a course to assess the potential of foreign students in various fields, which could allow me to get a scholarship to university!"

Ichigo still didn't react. She could hear him speak, she saw him so exalted that she couldn't find a suitable moment to stop him and ask what she had to do with those chatters, while the romantic castle that she had built in her head crumbled faster and faster.

“And they accepted me!” he reiterated, on cloud nine, “'ll be able to leave in a week!”

"You'll… _what!?”_

The confused hum of her thoughts came to a sudden halt and the question came out almost like a scream.

"Leave?"

She repeated like a parrot.

“ Can you imagine? Six months at Oxford! It takes years of study and I don't know how much more to get in there, and I can experience it for six months.”

Six months...?

Six months?!

“Six months…”

"I'll finally be able to do the research on Red Data Animals. Now... Baby, what's going on?”

At last he had noticed that she was staring at him with the glassy eye of a stuffed animal; she didn’t answer him immediately, unable to focus on a logical thought that wasn’t the few, focal points of his speech.

England. Leave. Six months.

Leave.

England. Europe. A continent and a half away, or a continent and two oceans, depending on the point of view; nine thousand kilometers, or so.

Six months. One hundred and eighty days.

“You… hadn’t told me anything…”

Masaya suddenly seemed to turn off and became sad:

"There was nothing certain until the last moment," he justified himself, mortified, “And since only the students with the best grades in the last trimester would pass, I…”

"Yes…” she nodded mechanically, "You focused on studying, of course…”

"Honey... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I thought that was good news.”

Ichigo looked at him still inexpressively, marveling at how such an intelligent and caring boy could turn out to be such an _insensitive_ idiot.

Happy?

He was announcing to her that for six months he would be almost on the opposite side of the world. Without her.

And he hadn't said a word to her all that time.

Of course, she was gushing with joy!

“I’m sorry, you're right,” he murmured him, his voice broken by guilt, “I should have told you something.”

He looked like a child who had brought the first perfect test to his mother but had not received the right praise.

“Don't worry, now... I’ll talk to the professor. I'll explain to him and – “

“No.”

She grabbed his arm to prevent it from going on and smiled at him, tense and at the same time as sweet as she could:

“Don’t worry. Well I admit it...”

She tried laugh light-heartedly and an unidentified gasp came out of her:

“I'm a little angry...! But I can see why you didn't tell me.”

Something, in the deepest recesses of her head, was shouting at her all sorts of known insults.

Understand?! No, she didn't understand why he hadn’t told her!

He wasn't saving her life from an alien threat; he wasn't stopping her from being killed by fanged and scaly monsters or oxygenated lunatics! He hadn’t done anything similar, telling her nothing!

He had simply lied to her about a possible six-month absence!

"It's your dream, isn't it? Research Red Data Animals to save them from extinction.”

Was it possible that she was so cowardly, so frightened at the idea of hurting her beloved boyfriend – who had to have a very good reason, excluding the aforementioned, not to tell her anything about that trip – that she couldn’t yell against him how much that silence hurt her?

“Isn't it wonderful?”

She heard his voice waning of several tones and looked down, unable to hold her act of good, compliant girlfriend. She heard the rustle of Masaya's shirt and felt his arms clutching her, wrapping her with his scent:

“ Forgive me!” he whispered in her ear, stroking her nape, “I swear! I'm going to make it up to you…! I will ask if it is possible to reduce the length of the stay… And I'm going to call you every day! All the time! Oh, Ichigo...! It's all my fault, I didn't want to make you so sad!”

She let herself be held while she felt the lump in her throat press harder and harder and the corner of her eyes moistened. She let herself be lulled while taking big breaths for her whole being to regain its composure.

Yes, he hadn’t told her, but...

Besides, it was so important to him! Such an occasion...!

And how could she hurt him again? He was already so mortified that he had made her sad…

At that moment, she wasn’t able to understand it, but in hindsight she would give herself an award for her self-conviction. And for her stupidity.

She moved slightly away from him and wiped her eyes, smiling at him just so:

"We'll talk, won’t we?

"Every day, baby."

He answered her with the warmest and kindest smile he had.

“ And you're not leaving right away, are you?”

“In a week,” he said gravely, “But these days I will be exempted from training to prepare for the trip: we will see each other every day, for as long as you want.”

"And will we go where I want to?"

She asked with a chuckle; he winked:

"Even to the Moon, love."

She smiled and nodded. Masaya gently wiped her cheeks and kissed her without leaving her for a moment, brushing her hair gently. They stayed like that for a few minutes until a confused chatter and the noise of a lot of chairs raised from the Café, a sign that the clientele was starting to fill it.

“I have to get back in now…”

“Of course,” he stroked her face again and looked at her caringly, "Do you want to talk a little more? I'll explain to Shirogane-san...”

“No, don't worry. And then it's better to avoid that!”, she replied, forcing a crooked smile, "Shirogane has already threatened me, if I ask for more days of leave, he’ll cut my salary in half!"

Masaya let out an amused sigh, gave her another tender kiss on the cheek and unconvinced let her go back without telling her anything else.

When Minto saw the redhead come back, she sighed half annoyed and half relieved, perhaps because of the two trays laden with orders she was carrying:

"At last! How long did you – “

“Uh? What is it?”

Ichigo saw her lay the trays on an empty table and scurry towards her:

“ Is everything okay? You're pale and your eyes are red.” 

“I'm great!” she smiled cheerfully, “My eyes….? You know, I sneezed so hard before that I teared up.”

It was one of the most pathetic lies she had ever told, but a new order prevented her from adding more and forced her to return to work, glossing over the mewbird’s concerns. That afternoon, the Café had filled up like never before and soon any trace of the red’s discontent was replaced by her professional smile and the weariness of the day.

The hours passed so fast and full that none of the girls noticed the time until they saw Keiichiro put the _CLOSED_ sign on the door of the Café:

"Very good, ladies,” he announced cordially, “Great job, as always.”

All five smiled.

"You can go," he concluded, "I’ll take care of the kitchen and the inventory.”

"Wait," Ichigo lit up, "You said you ran out of sugar, didn't you?"

"Ah, it's true!"

"If I remember correctly, we still have some in the stockroom," she smiled, "If you want, I can take care of it.”

"I would be very grateful to you, Ichigo dear."

The redhead slid away and quickly vanished down the stairs, nodding to her friends as they went to get changed; too quickly to realize the infinitesimal glance that Zakuro and Ryou had exchanged.

_ If Ichigo willingly does extra unpaid work, I'm black-haired and green-eyed. _ _ _

Ryou waited to run after her to ask for explanations, ignoring the curiosity – or concern? – he had, like Minto, since he had seen the redhead’s face after her chat with Aoyama.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Either she was going to personally collect the sugar in the fields, or she was buried under some sack of flour put in the wrong place.

The blond quickly went downstairs, trying to convince himself that what moved him was the irritation for Ichigo’s likely clumsiness and not, as the itching in his chest suggested, the fear that something was wrong, and he found himself in front of a door partially closed onto darkness. He snorted and opened it, groaning:

“Can you tell me what you hope to find in the dark? I don't think…”

The light from the corridor first shone on Ichigo's back, crouched on the floor; then, before Ryou could ask her anything, she turned to the light, showing a face flushed and swollen with tears.

The tingling in the blond’s chest became a jab in seeing her in that state; the moment she realized that he was looking at her, she leaped to her feet, cruelly rubbing her already puffy face, unsuccessfully wiping tears that weren’t keen on stopping.

"Hey, hey!"

Ryou took her hands and listened to her breathing in spurts and sobs.

“What's going on?”

“N-no... No, nothing...Only...”

She sniffed and almost slapped her eyes in an attempt to dry them; and to say that she had run downstairs to avoid questions from the girls... But she had to have the misfortune of being seen by Ryou as she cried like a fountain. She shook her head hard and a dry hiccup escaped her mouth, and then again large tears; Ryou took her hands again to stop her fidgeting, but she insisted on keeping her lips tightened and shaking her head without talking to him.

“Ichigo, what's going on?”

It was enough for his tone to be slightly sweeter than usual and Ichigo gave in, returning to moan uncontrollably:

“Not… told… six…”

“Oh my God, Ichigo, calm down. I don't understand a word.”

“He’s going to… E-E-England... Six months…”

“ In England for six months?” he asked, and she nodded confusedly to confirm, "Are you talking about Aoyama?”

One more acute groan and another _yes_ with her head.

"He’ll do... A course of... I don't know," she continued, more intelligible "And he’s going to be there for… Six months...”

Aoyama in England? For six whole months the hateful perfect guy out of the way?

Christmas was early.

"And he didn't...! Didn’t…!”

"What?”

"He didn't... Say anything...! He goes... He goes away and... He wouldn't tell me... Anything!”

Ryou's enthusiasm waned a little, if he had understood the topic well, he could no longer fathom how Ichigo could love that guy.

"He... he’s going to England for six months, and he wouldn't tell you anything?”

She shook her head, slapping his nose with her headband:

“ He told me... Today…” her breath was cut by a disproportionate tremor, “And he’s leaving in seven days!”

Did anyone still have the courage to support Aoyama and tell him he wasn't an idiot?

“Ichigo, I understand, but now calm down...”

“It’s… It's his dream! I know!” she continued stubbornly, “It’s fantastic… but…! But…!”

Another strong whine and she couldn’t help but sob. Ryou stared at her, immobile, unable to understand why she was still defending the guy: yes, he could only be glad that the amoeba wouldn’t be within range of the redhead for half the year but... To see her in similar conditions, he would have endured even having him working at the Café again.

Instinctively, he hugged her and was astonished not to receive resistance. Ichigo barely twitched at the blond’s embrace, but relaxed almost at the same time; unceremoniously, she curled her hands on his chest and sank her head into his shirt, crying without any control.

Ryou let her, slowly stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other, wondering what was preventing him from yelling at her and telling her that "her Masaya" was an imbecile, who didn’t deserve her tears; wondering what allowed him not to say "leave him", what had not yet made him bend down to kiss her and make those tears stop.

Perhaps the same reason he would have done it with all his heart, the same reason he was now trying to console her.

***

The city of Jeweliria was now wrapped in darkness and in every house the windows shone with heat or sent subtle rays of light through the shutters. Just outside the Council Palace, seven figures were walking in a tense silence, dark faces that did not hide the disappointment just received; MoiMoi eventually burst out surly:

"I don't like this story."

“Me neither.”

"But we can't refuse, Kisshu."

Pai added sternly. The other glared at him, and Eyner sighed:

"Those who are under scrutiny, however, are not us, but them,” he specified, “And it doesn't feel right to me to just show up and force them to do it.”

“Do you prefer they send someone from the Council to pick them up?"

"Sando, don't start too," MoiMoi scolded him, "The point is that it's not right to drag them here by force. That's what Ebode wants.”

“Yeah,” Kisshu clicked his tongue, “Forcing them to perform in front of everyone, as in a circus: obedient little beasts under the orders of the councilman!”

“No one wants this, Kisshu,” Teruga interrupted him, “In fact, I was proposing you, at least, to warn them.”

“But it's not that they have a choice.”

The elder looked at Kisshu without answering.

"If it’s inevitable," he sighed, "Then it is better to tell them as soon as possible."

For a second, MoiMoi looked at Pai, with the typical expression of when he was looking for a solution, and was certain that his kohai was mulling over it: he knew well when something did not convince him.

“What if we show your fighting on Earth, Pai-chan?” he suggested, “You should still have some data, right?”

"I'm afraid that would not be enough," he replied dryly, "They would think they are counterfeits."

MoiMoi sighed; then suddenly he turned to look at the boy again, and he widened his eyes: after years of working side by side it was easy to understand each other, at least when it came to get the brain to work.

"Senpai, you're a genius."

“It's perfect!” MoiMoi muttered excitedly, "We would turn Ebode's plans against him!”

"MoiMoi-san, would you mind explaining yourself better?"

A confused Teruga asked, and MoiMoi smiled cunningly:

"That if they want to see them, it will be on their terms, not those of Ebode."

***

Ichigo lay her head on the pillow and pulled the soft strawberry-colored blankets up her nose, sighing melancholically; she had cried so much that her eyes were burning, and her head throbbed so much that she just wanted to sleep. Little Masha was looking at her worriedly, but wasn’t even emitting its usual _piis_ not to annoy her and just fluttered close by with a sad air.

“Hey, don't make that face,” the mewneko whispered softly, “Come here.”

The little robot leaned against her cheek and she smiled at it:

“ You don't have to worry, I'm much better now... I'm just tired.”

Masha studied her for a few seconds and then smiled and, convinced as always by his owner’s words, enjoyed a few scratches behind the ears, squealing delightedly. Ichigo continued to cuddle it until it closed its pink eyes and began to emit a rhythmic and slight metallic scratch; she kept studying it for a few minutes, snorting resignedly.

_ My little one was built by a genius who didn't bother to even teach him how to do math… But on the other hand, it can snore. _ _ _

She sighed, blushing slightly:

"Today I did something embarrassing...”

When Ryou had hugged her that afternoon, she should have pushed him away; she knew that the boy had done it to comfort her, but she should still have refused such care. Instead, she had clutched to the blond-haired boy with despair, staying there until she had vented all her sadness and frustration.

The truth was that she had felt totally safe in his arms; in the moment her heart seemed to drown in her chest, Ryou had been a lifeline and she had clung to it with all her might.

She sighed for the umpteenth time, not only had she been unfair to Masaya by hugging another boy, but she had also certainly embarrassed Ryou by taking advantage of one - strangely - emotional gesture of kindness.

“Uff, why do I always find myself in these situations?” she cried in her pillow "I can't stand it anymore!"

She rubbed her face against the pillowcase until her bangs became all static, and then she surrendered disconsolately; the only solution she saw now was to apologize to Ryou and ask him to pretend like nothing had happened, besides obviously not saying anything to Masaya: being apart for six months would have been even more difficult if they had said goodbye by bickering. With that idea in my mind Ichigo closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

Ichigo...

Ichigo.

__

_ "... This voice... _ _ _

_ Is it you again?" _ _ _

__

_ She saw the figure indistinct in her eyes give her an imperceptible nod. _ _ _

__

_ "You..." _ _ _

__

_ She knew who he was. She knew, but... _ _ _

__

_ Something's bothering you, Ichigo. _ _ _

__

_ "... How do I know it's you?" _ _ _

__

_ You can't. _ _ _

__

_ Was the sad answer. _ _ _

_ She sensed him take a few steps further. _ _ _

__

_ Not yet. _ _ _

__

_ "I don't understand." _ _ _

__

_ He made an unconcerned gesture and came close enough to gently take her arm. _ _ _

__

_ Ichigo, listen. _ _ _

_ I'm running out of time! _ _ _

_ There's not enough strength yet... _ _ _

__

_ Like the first time she could only agree to listen to him. _ _ _

__

_ Remember what I told you the first time? _ _ _

__

_ "That you're not  _ him, _nor **Him.**_ **”** ** **

__

_ She felt him smile. _ _ _

_ He nodded. _ _ _

__

_ "I don't understand." _ _ _

__

_ It doesn't matter now. But you have to keep that in mind. _ _ _

_ Don’t forget that, little Ichigo. _ _ _

__

_ She nodded again, though more annoyed. _ _ _

_ She heard him laugh. _ _ _

__

_ I know you don't like these things. _ _ _

_ But I can't tell you more. _ _ _

_ They could hear me. _ _ _

__

_ "Who? _ _ _

_ Who could hear you?" _ _ _

__

_ He didn't answer her, and his voice barely cracked with concern. _ _ _

__

_ Listen to me. _ _ _

_ They found the Ways, but they lost the Key. _ _ _

_ You have to find the others before they reach you. _ _ _

__

_ " _ Ways _? _ They? _Are you talking about the Ancestrals?_ _ _

_ Please! Be clearer, I don't understand!" _ _ _

__

_ You will understand. _ _ _

_ For now, listen, and remember well. _ _ _

_ When in doubt, follow your second instinct. _ _ _

__

_ "My second...?" _ _ _

__

_ She understood that he must have jolted, frightened. _ _ _

_ As the previous time, he gave her just a barely perceivable smile, brushing her forehead with soft, cold lips. _ _ _

__

_ Be careful, Ichigo. _ _ _

__

_ "Wait...! Please..." _ _ _

"Wait!"

She sat up in bed so suddenly that Masha rolled down from the pillow slamming on the floor with a sharp lament.

“ _Ichigo_!” it protested, getting back up, “ _That hurts! That hurts! Piiii!”_

She took a few seconds to focus on its rosy figure fluttering in front of her nose:

“Masha... Excuse me, baby...”

_ “Did you have a nightmare? Nightmare? Piii?” _

The redhead did not answer him. She looked out of the window for a moment, it was not even dawn.

“Why? Again...”

She rubbed her forehead, worriedly; she believed that the night she had dreamed of the MewAqua, she had only had the impression of seeing him, but it had happened again.

“That's not possible!” she murmured, “He was…”

_ “Ichigo. Ichigo. What’s wrong, piii?!” _ _ _

She only smiled at it and patted it over its little head to reassure it.

After all, it could very well have been just a dream, even if the recent experiences had shown her that she had quite the prophetic ones.

But if it was true...

How could he still be alive?

***

She arrived at the Café at ten o'clock, for her average strangely on time for the Sunday shift. She crossed the driveway yawning like a hippopotamus and in despair, after that dream with the mysterious evanescent figure she had no longer managed to sleep, and since not even the rest of the night had been very restorative,  she was so sleepy that she could fall asleep on one of the bushes next to which she was walking.

“What a bore… Work on Sundays too, all day long!” she complained, opening the door, “Ryou is a slaver…”

She jolted, noticing that the American was just behind the threshold and was staring at her inexpressively: if he had heard her, she was doomed.

“Ichigo.”

_ “Y-yee-esss ♪? _ ” 

"Strangely on time."

He ascertained dully; she laughed nervously as she finally entered:

“Yes, see?” she spoke in a high-pitched voice, “Every now and then I... _Masaya?!_ ”

There.

She could expect anything, except seeing her boyfriend calmly standing in front of Ryou.

A cold chill ran through her: what if the blond had said something about what had happened the day before and so Masaya was ready for the Holy Inquisition?

She was proved wrong at once, had that been, the black-haired boy would not have been smiling at her as he was doing.

“ Masaya... What...?”

“I promised you we'd go out together every day before I left,” he winked at her, “Today, however, you were at work, so I came to ask your boss for permission.”

He smiled warmly at Ryou, who answered with a flat grunt of assent; he had not yet been able to understand whether Masaya's was actual politeness, or mere arrogance hidden by civilized ways. Ichigo looked at the two, finally stopping on the American, studying him hopeful:

"And…?”

“I want you here for the afternoon shift. Early.” he added, "And of course you’ll only receive half the pay.”

The redhead hopped on the spot joyfully.

"For real?! I... Thank you!”

She ran like crazy to the locker room to leave her bag and then back out dragging Masaya behind; she stopped after a few yards, however, and excitedly said:

“Wait, one second, Masaya-kun. I... I'm coming, one minute!”

She trotted back through the open door and tackled Ryou on the entrance where he had remained motionless:

“ _Thankyouthankyouthankyou_ _!! _ ” she rattled, "I swear, I will be super on time!”

"You better.”

He snorted annoyed; he granted her a hint of a smile as he basically pushed her out the door:

"Come back in shape."

She nodded and hopped to her boyfriend, walking away towards the park; Ryou instead closed the entrance door and went up to his room without considering Keiichiro who, from the kitchen, had looked out to see what was going on.

“ As they say, _shooting yourself in the foot.”_

Ryou convinced himself once and for all, there must have been a masochistic trait in his genes. There was no other reason to hurt himself so badly. 

***

Ichigo decided that she would take back all the nasty things she had always said about Ryou.

Okay, not _all of them,_ but... A good portion, yes.

With that morning off, she felt like she was reborn. Masaya had taken her to all her favorite places, making her relax and spoiling her in every request – he had even accompanied her to that stall she liked so much, where they sold her favorite crepes – and he had done nothing but explain to her every small detail of his trip, finally making her part of the event he cared so much about. The more she heard him speak enthusiastically and at the same time distressed by the awareness of their distance, the more Ichigo felt less close to being abandoned, less sad, and above all, the six months seemed less long and less lonely.

“... And maybe," Masaya continued, "During the summer holidays I could come and see you. Or you could come! England must be wonderful in the summer.”

“What a great idea! It would be fantast –“

She heard a slight electronic noise repeating syncopated and stopped, instinctively taking her phone. No message.

“Ichigo, it’s still ringing.”

She turned pale: if it wasn't a text message, it could only be something else.

She rummaged through her pocket, troubled, and pulled out the alien transmitter, which emitted stifled rhythmical _beeps_ , and she brushed it, not too convinced, with her index finger:

"Erm… hello?”

_ “Ichigo-chan? Hello! _ ”

The mewneko sighed relieved by the cheerful tone that came out of the device, perhaps there was no bad news:

“MoiMoi! Tell me.”

_ “Sorry to bother _ _!” _ the alien trilled, “ _A quick question... How long until you and the girls will meet at your base?”_

“You mean... the Café?” she asked, confused, “The others should be there already, I'm going in an hour or so… why?”

_ “ _ _ Just to know,”  _ he chuckled, “ _See you later then!”_ _ _

And he stopped the communication without giving her time to reply.

Ichigo looked confusedly at Masaya, who gave her an uneasy half-smile and she murmured:

"Am I wrong, or did she say _later?”_

***

Nervously, she looked for the umpteenth time at the clock that now marked that five had passed. She sighed, served another table, delivered a check, greeted the customers, and looked back grimly at the wall, sighing again.

“ I mean, could you stop that? You’re like a steamship!”

She glared at Minto and insisted on her increasingly nervous checking of the dial.

"Are you sure about what she told you?"

“ Of course I'm sure!” Ichigo blurted, “What I don't know is the reason, she didn't say anything.”

Retasu looked at her worriedly, but she didn't know what to reply and distractedly watched the now almost empty room.

"Considering what happened in front of the Council," sighed Minto bitterly, "I fear nothing good."

Ichigo scowled at her, but couldn’t reply and grunted an affirmative answer.

Just at that very moment, the door opened with its usual jingle. The Mew Mews were about to receive the new clients with their typical singsong, but the _Welcome_ died in their throat at the first syllable.

“Oh, please Ichigo, finish the sentence!” begged Kisshu with an adoring smile, “Tell me _welcome!_ ”

“Kisshu, you're a jerk.”

Taruto grumbled disgusted. Behind him, Eyner laughed ironically, closing the door behind him and leaving MoiMoi to make a triumphant entrance:

"Hello girls!"

They didn’t answer, their eyes wide  in shock. Ichigo stammered:

“M-M-Mo-Mo…?!”

Aliens. There were four aliens who were calmly entering the Café. Perfectly recognizable.

“MoiMoi! Are you crazy?!” she whispered, breathless, “Coming in here, the people…!”

“Ichigo.”

The redhead stopped at Zakuro's call and turned to her, bewildered.

"Look,”

She followed the brunette’s nod and noticed that none of the customers was interested in the arrival of four out-of-the-ordinary individuals. Retasu put a hand on her mouth and murmured:

“You're not invisible, are you?”

MoiMoi chuckled and pointed to a decorative mirror hanging on the wall, in which he was reflecting: on the shiny surface, however, Ichigo didn’t see the alien, but a terrestrial girl with MoiMoi’s hair and wearing a ruffled Waloli style dress.

"Unbelievable...”

Ichigo went looking for the right spot to see the reflection of the other three aliens and spotted three normal terrestrial boys, wearing banal T-shirts and jeans. No diaphanous skins, no pointed ears; only the eyes and hair were their usual shades, even if they had lost that alien _something_.

"But how did you do that?"

Minto asked admiringly, and Eyner uncovered the shielding bracelet:

“It's a new special version. We can avoid even the changes of clothes,” and whispered amusedly, “I think _someone_ was traumatized by the tie.”

Kisshu grunted and didn’t pay him attention.

“ They are wonderful!” Retasu exclaimed, “MoiMoi-san, you're brilliant!”

"I don't take all the credit," he blushed delightedly, "As always Pai-chan gives my ideas that touch of class. My kohai is a genius!”

Retasu was certain that if Pai heard him, he would seriously consider freezing him.

“What... the hell is going on?”

"Shirogane!"

Hearing that name, Kisshu became alerted and dark in the face, looking at the earthlings blocking their boss before he could flip out.

"Them? Here?”

Asked Keiichiro surprised.

“Yes, but don’t worry!” Ichigo blurted, “Others cannot see them, they look like normal earthlings.”

Ryou said nothing and glanced surly at the green-haired boy, who reciprocated with equal joy. Eyner looked at them for a few seconds and thanked the reason preventing them from killing each other, whatever it was.

He couldn't fathom how Kisshu could find someone everywhere to be at loggerheads with all the time.

“I congratulate who has created such ingenious devices.”

Was saying Keiichiro in the meantime, bowing slightly to MoiMoi to greet him:

"I don't think I've introduced myself yet... I'm Keiichiro Akasaka.”

"The pleasure’s mine, I am MoiMoi. So, if you are Akasaka... " he smiled smartly and pointed to the blond, “You are Ryou, uh?"

He nodded without getting perturbed.

“It's nice to meet you! And, speaking of my toys...” he rummaged through the pockets of his skirt and pulled out five more identical bracelets, “ _Ta-dà!_ Brand new for the girls!”

"Well... Thank you.”

Ryou said, stretching a flat smile; MoiMoi left the devices in his hand and chuckled:

“One each. But… Purin-chan isn’t here?” 

“She’s running an errand.”

Retasu replied quietly, but MoiMoi seemed not to like that:

“ What?!? We came on purpose for something very important!”

"A very important thing?"

"Yes," Taruto mumbled, "For which our presence was not necessary."

"MoiMoi-san has already been attacked," Eyner pointed out, "And since we’re here in secret, it’s good that she has support in case of trouble."

“And it’s only the third time we explain it to you...”

“I know, Kisshu!” the brown-haired boy snapped, “Doesn’t make it less of a drag.”

“Come on, Taru-chan!” MoiMoi chuckled, "I'm happy, I have a group of very cool bodyguards!”

He and Retasu laughed, with Kisshu behind him muttering something about the stupidity of his senpai.

"MoiMoi-san," Zakuro asked, "What did you come to tell us?"

She didn't care much about the presence of the aliens if they didn't wreak havoc or if they didn't have to fight them, but MoiMoi's previous sentence had put her on edge. It was time to cut the pleasantries.

“I need to talk to everyone,” he replied firmly, “When do you think she'll be back?"

"The store is far away," Keiichiro pondered, "If it's urgent, I could go pick her up."

“ Why don't you send them?”

Said Ryou and pointed at Kisshu:

"With your little trick, you should go and come back in a couple of minutes."

The other did not appreciate his tone and studied him with a mocking grin:

"If you ask me politely, blondie."

“Nice idea, Ryou,”  MoiMoi interrupted them before they started a battle of digs, “You go, Taru-chan?”

He, feeling suddenly consulted, looked at him without answering and then frowned:

"I said it's a torture… Why the hell do I have to go?!”

"She’s your girlfriend, not mine."

At Kisshu’s joke, Taruto went from pink to red to scarlet within fifteen seconds, but insisted on staring at his brother with the most menacing and indifferent expression he could manage:

“Are you completely stupid?”

“Please, Taruto…”

Eyner sighed, evidently holding back from punching Kisshu in the teeth in order to shut him:

"Could you go?"

The brown-haired boy mumbled other complaints but nodded, even though it was as if he had been asked to move a stone.

“Don't waste too much time making out.”

His brother yelled _fuck you_ at him, marching out the door and teleporting away. Eyner rolled his eyes glaring at Kisshu, who was laughing:

"If he killed you one day, I wouldn't blame him."

Kisshu answered with a grin and the friend grabbed his forehead between his fingers, exhaling.

“Well, while we wait, what are you guys doing? There’s still customers, or am I wrong?”

“What?!” asked Ichigo scandalized, “But Shirogane…”

“No buts, especially from who took half a day's vacation,” he pointed out, “Come on, table five’s calling you.” 

Ichigo, annoyed, put her hands on her hips:

“You really are a slaver! Greedy, despo –“

She suddenly changed her grimace at the customer’s new call, put on her best smile and ran away, abandoning her protesting.

“Wow… Tell me what's the trick to make her change her mood like that.”

Ryou looked at Kisshu with a cynical smile:

"Be called Masaya Aoyama.”

***

Taruto appeared over a street crowded with people, looked around and, verified that there was no sign of Purin, he teleported away cursing. It was the third time that it happened and he was starting to get really fed up; he wondered why he had listened to Kisshu's stupid teasing, if he hadn’t been distracted he would have thought to ask the terrestrial beanpole where the mewmonkey had gone.

"Where the hell did she go?!"

He no longer knew where to look for her; after all, there weren't many places he knew on Earth, he never bothered to learn any, and by now he had almost finished his list.

He teleported again and popped over the park where he and Purin had often collided.

_ Me and the Earthlings. _ _ _

He corrected himself shaking his head abruptly. He fluttered around there peering at all the benches, paths, trees and bushes, but there was no sign of the blonde; snorting, he also checked the nearby streets and luckily spotted a ruffled straw-colored mane over an affected orange and white uniform. He breathed a sigh of relief and landed in an alley just ahead of Purin’s way.

"I found you, pest of a monkey."

She, her face hidden behind a gigantic shopping bag, tilted her head to the side to see at least with one eye:

“ Taru-Taru? What are you doing here?”

"Still that _Taru-Taru?_ ” he snorted, “Anyways, I came to get you. The senpai needs to talk to you.”

“MoiMoi nee-chan? Did something happen?”

Taruto shrugged:

“More or less... What's that you have?”

"Groceries.”

She smiled radiantly.

“For an army,” he pointed out, unconvinced, “That thing must weigh a ton!”

Purin lifted the huge bag over her head and chuckled:

“ Don't worry, I'm strong. You should know that.”

“Yes. Besides, you're a monkey, aren't you?” he teased, “What was your DNA….? A gorilla’s?”

"I'm a golden lion tamarin!”

She blurted offended, and he laughed:

“ Come on, strong woman... I'll carry it. Now let’s go.” 

***

Ichigo lifted the trash and put it in the bin, grunting so much that one might have thought she was moving an elephant. With her bare hands and on gravel.

“Couldn't we close, since MoiMoi came here?” she mumbled, getting the lid, “Shirogane is impossible!”

“You're always complaining, kitten. It's not good for your health to get angry like that.”

She closed the garbage bin in a deafening clanging of tin, turning frightened:

“ Kisshu! Damn you and your love for popping up behind people!” 

She pressed her hand to her chest and sighed tiredly:

"You gave me a heart attack!"

He laughed and went nearer, smiling mischievously at her:

“I remembered this uniform well. You know, it looks amazing on you.”

She stared at him for a second, unsure about encouraging him:

"Thank you…”

She simply murmured. 

“With your hair... And your pretty face as red as you have it now, you really look like a strawberry,” he whispered provocatively, “It makes me wanna eat you.”

_ “Imbecile! _ ”

She exploded, praying that the itch she felt springing on her head was just an itch and not her feline ears trying to poke out; she couldn’t certainly get palpitations for Kisshu’s joke. She passed him disdainfully, making to get back inside, and heard him laugh:

"It was a compliment, kitten, don't get angry."

"Well, I don't like it!”

“Ah, no?”

He studied her in silence, with a lascivious glimmer in the golden eyes, and Ichigo felt her stomach twitch pleasantly, but she stood frowning at him, imploring herself not to blush:

“No.”

“All right.”

The surrendering voice clashed with his smug smile:

"I, instead, accept them willingly. How do I look, as an earthling?”

"Kisshu, to me you look the same.”

He made a disappointed face and began to tinker with the bracelet on his wrist; Ichigo heard a _clink,_ saw the image of the boy shaking for a second and suddenly in her eyes Kisshu appeared dressed as a terrestrial.

“So? How do I look?”

She stared at him, confused:

"How did you do that?"

“ New optional,” he winked and showed her an invisible wheel on the bracelet, “We can increase the shielding level. At 1, only the people it's calibrated on can see who's really under the screen; 2, as it is now; at 3, the camouflage is complete and there is a physical mutation.”

"Physical?"

"Let's say that if I put it on 3 now," he continued, "I would be completely human."

"That is," Ichigo asked hesitantly, "Even if I looked at you?"

"Even if you touched me, I would have all the characteristics of a terrestrial”, and whispering exciting, he added, "Do we wanna try?”

He kept himself from laughing in her face as she turned red so quickly that she went from lovable to ridiculous: he saw her look for an insult effective enough to retort, but she didn’t seem to find it and mutely gasped, looking at him with the complexion of a shrimp.

“Then?” Kisshu insisted, taking advantage of her confusion, “How do I look?”

Ichigo studied the slightly worn out skinny jeans and the fitted black t-shirt with a round neckline, simple and perfect clothes on the alien’s lean and strong figure. She felt her heart accelerate sharply and the temperature of her face rise, while the boy smiled allusively:

"I guess I'm a pleasant sight."

With a jingle, the redhead’s ears and tail sprang out, while she stared furiously and purple-colored at Kisshu and yelled:

_ “YOU'RE JUST A MANIAC! _ ”

She left him there, fleeing to the back of the Café, but Kisshu didn’t care: the black tail turning around the corner was enough as a more than affirmative answer.

***

_ “Mmmm! _ So good!” moaned MoiMoi as he fidgeted on his chair, “Akasaka-san, it's so yummy!”

“Thank you,” the man smiled at him, “The _gateau au chocolat_ is one of our best-selling products.”

“Senpai, don't get so excited... Even if it's just us now," Eyner pointed out, "Maybe you're exaggerating.”

MoiMoi took another forkful of the cake and rejoiced louder, heedless of his protests.

"Kei, you can't always make everyone freeload like this!"

"Don't be rude, Ryou," Kei coaxed him, "MoiMoi-san and the others are now our allies, and there is no way I won’t offer something to such an intelligent and graceful guest."

"You and I will become very good friends!"

MoiMoi chuckled and Ryou sighed deeply:

"A slice of cake," he looked disconsolately at the now-empty cake stand, “Not a whole one.”

"A healthy appetite is a sign of good health."

Keiichiro smiled.

"It's with this excuse that you allow Ichigo to wolf down at least one cake a week, isn't it?"

Retasu, standing next to the alien with Eyner, chuckled politely.

“This place certainly…” 

“Is it a little too feminine?”

The green asked; Eyner stretched a crooked smile:

"Let's say it's not my style.”

She smiled amusedly.

“By the way, Retasu-chan.”

The brown-haired alien took a cloth bag which she only noticed at that moment:

"I had to bring it back to you."

It was the bento that Retasu had prepared on the first day at Yakori. The girl took the bag and smiled:

“Thank you. Was it good? I'm sorry, in the end you took it with you…”

“Are you kidding? You made the effort to prepare it, I couldn't waste it.”

She nodded and smiled again. When she had found the boy, that day at lunch, she had discovered that she had worked unnecessarily and that he had eaten on his own; she would have brought back the bento without any problems, but Eyner had insisted to have it anyway so as not to frustrate her effort.

"And to answer you, it was delicious," he said politely, "Sury loved it.”

Retasu thanked him with a nod, blushing gently. It was pleasant to chat with Eyner, she felt very comfortable: he was kind and able to adapt to every person he met including her, to whom, she imagined, it wasn’t easy to relate, introverted as she was; at the same time, he was determined and seemed able to cope in any situation, as he had shown by standing up to Ebode in front of the Council. She would have liked to be friends with someone like that.

"Sury," she asked curiously, "She’s your little sister, right?"

She saw that he looked at her in amazement and just shrugged with a smile:

"Taruto-san and Zakuro-san told me.”

He saw him ponder on the sentence for a second and smile:

"Ah, is that so, uh?"

“I'd like to meet her someday. She must be so cute!”

“She’s a pest, but cute,” he admitted, “Are you an older sister too?"

At her surprised expression, he winked:

"Intuition.”

"I have a little brother who’s in middle school."

"I understand. Does he look like you?”

"It's basically me with short hair," she blushed, “Glasses included.”

He laughed softly and made to continue, but a furious Ichigo, black tail pointed, swooped in on the hall catalyzing everyone's attention.

“Ichigo, what's wrong with you?”

Minto scolded her; she answered almost by hissing:

"Nothing at all!"

And she finished cleaning up the last table without adding anything else. Meanwhile, Kisshu popped up from the back whistling, and, in seeing him, Eyner looked at him sternly:

“What did you do?”

“Me? Why does it have to be my fault?”

"Because I'm going to bet an arm that you were with Ichigo," he replied flatly, "Or she wouldn't be so angry."

"How’s it possible that you all have such a low opinion of me?"

He said offended, but the smile painted on his face did not disappear. Ryou felt his knuckles creak as he squeezed his fingers in his hand.

"Just a maniac without any decency."

“ Did you say anything, crow?”

Minto couldn’t reply – fortunately for him – because finally Taruto and Purin arrived.

After preventing that the brown-haired boy added to Minto's fury – once again he was wound up by one of his brother’s jokes – and making Ichigo regain her composure, MoiMoi stood in front of the Earthlings and crossed his arms, sighing:

"We have a problem."

“That we got,” Zakuro commented dully, “More specifically?”

“You know Ichigo's _small_ speech to the Council the other day?

“ Don't recall it in that tone, Kisshu…”

Ichigo whimpered.

“It raised some issues.”

"Really, Eyner?” Minto said bitterly, glaring at the mewneko, “I never would have thought!”

"Stop it, look, it's a serious thing,” he insisted, “The Councilmen had some doubts about your abilities and Ebode seized the opportunity, fomenting it. Some who voted for us are no longer so convinced.”

“Doubts about our abilities…?”

"Of course…” Ryou interjected thoughtfully, "I imagine a 17-year-old girl doesn’t strike as Earth's heroine.”

"As if _I_ had asked to be hybridized with a feline!"

"The point is," MoiMoi stopped her, "That we risk having the task of searching for the Gift of the Forefathers taken away.”

The blond looked at him confused, and MoiMoi answered hurriedly:

"That's what my people call the MewAqua.”

"If the Councilmen don’t consider you able to fight, if they believe you’re only little girls and so on," Kisshu concluded, "We could no longer cooperate. We would have to do it secretly and we’d risk finding Jeweliria’s entire army after us.”

The Earthlings didn’t respond.

"In what a fucking situation you set them up."

Ryou couldn’t avoid hissing, and Kisshu glowered at him with fiery eyes.

"To be honest, Ebode suggested a solution, although not yet officially, " added Taruto annoyed, “But it’s only his tactic.”

“What do you mean, Taru-Taru?”

“He has proposed to summon you to demonstrate your skills in front of the whole Council,” MoiMoi replied, “But to do as he says would mean that we have no freedom of decision, nor does Teruga.”

“It is a full-blown political maneuver,” Minto nodded, "If we decline, we will find the whole Council against ourselves; if we accept, we will be the obedient pawns of Ebode.”

"I refuse to do such a thing."

Hissed Zakuro menacingly and MoiMoi winked, clever:

"Us too. That's why we came up with a plan.”

The Earthlings went closer to him, listening curiously.

“The request to show your strength would come from the Council and we couldn’t reject it, but if Ebode proposed it, we could not accept it. The solution is to respect the Council's request... Out of Ebode's plans.”

Ichigo and the girls looked at him bewildered:

“What do you mean?”

"We will organize everything so that it looks like a fortuity. Anyways, you currently have free access to the passage between Earth and Jeweleria.”

"We have some friends at the White Palace," Kisshu said, "Who could help us. We will make sure that you show your skills in front of all the Councilmen. We would take care of escorting you there and prepare ‘the arena’, Teruga will bring the whole Council where we want.”

“Do you want us to fight?” Retasu asked, uneasy, “But…”

"I know it's not a pleasant thing, but there's no other solution,” MoiMoi sighed, "Of course, if you don't…”

"But can't we just go in front of that bad guy, that Ebode, and show him how tough we are?!”

Purin protested, not at all enthusiastic about the web of subterfuge they were proposing to her; Ichigo stopped her by placing a hand on her arm and got serious in her face:

“ No... As Councilwoman Meryold said, we must use the right tactic. In this case, I don't see a better one.”

“That's right,” Eyner smiled, "However, don’t worry. Before you ‘perform’, MoiMoi-san and Pai have to solve some things with the Drop, it will take a few more days. Right?”

“Three days,” MoiMoi replied, "We will come and get you. You also already have the screening devices; you won't have to worry about anything other than being in full shape.”

The girls nodded softly, tense like violin strings. Near them Ryou, who hadn’t spoken anymore, seemed to reflect and then said:

"Listen, MoiMoi... When you come back, would you bring one of those devices for me?”

Everyone in attendance turned to stare at him in unison.

"You're not going to come, I hope."

“If they have to evaluate the girls, it might be helpful to have with you who made them as they are now, Kisshu,” he clarified coldly, "Also, in all truthfulness, the situation doesn't give me much confidence. I want to come too.”

"As if you could do anything."

The other hissed poisonous. Ryou clenched his jaw, but didn’t move nor replied, looking at him with superiority.

“ Shirogane, are you crazy?” Ichigo whispered to him, "You c-“

“I think I'm free to do what I want, Ichigo,” he blurted out, silencing her, and went back to look at MoiMoi, “So? Can you make one for me too?”

“Of course. And it's not such a crazy idea... Yes, having the creator of the Mew Mews with us can be very useful to us.”

He smiled again to thank Keiichiro for the dessert and stood next to his companions, ready to teleport:

“I’ll run to Pai-chan to finish the job.”

The Earthlings looked at him, but he didn’t say a word about what work he was talking about:

"See you in three days."

**Author's Note:**

> If you like, you can follow me also here ❤  
> https://ria-shuiryu.tumblr.com/  
> https://www.instagram.com/ria_efp/


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